MYSTERIOUS: Categories natural landscape photography awards 2026 - You Need To See This

"It’s a phenomenon well known to nature photographers (and landscape photographers in particular): we seem to encounter the most spectacular sunsets while standing in a supermarket parking lot, at a gas station, or in the least photogenic place imaginable. This time, though, I got lucky and found myself by a lake in southern Sweden when the conditions decided to put on a proper show.

Since I’m not particularly good at capturing those classic, sweeping vistas, the idea of experimenting with a multiple exposure immediately came to mind. If I remember correctly, this is a six-shot multiple exposure created entirely in-camera, in which I alternately layered the lines of the trees against the sky with their reflections in the water."

Award: Multiple Exposure and ICM, Winner

High above the Baltic Sea, an ancient beech forest glows in autumn colors atop the dramatic white chalk cliffs of Jasmund National Park on the island of Rügen, Germany.

Award: Intimate Landscape, Highly Commended

Taken in the rugged beauty of Assynt, in the Northern Scottish Highlands. A fleeting break in the storm allowed a shaft of light from the rising sun behind me to transform the landscape, illuminating the reeds and loch with stark, unexpected contrast. For just a few moments, the scene came alive. I had barely enough time to capture it before the rain and hail swept across the landscape once more, swallowing the light and draining the vibrancy from the scene. It was one of those rare moments when everything comes together … and disappears almost as quickly as it arrived.

Award: Waterscapes, Winner

These trumpet-shaped protrusions are the podetia of a cup lichen that I found on the stump of a cut-down birch in a forest north of Poznań, Poland. What may seem like a single organism is actually a colony of fungi and algae intertwined in a symbiotic relationship. They're a pretty common occurrence throughout the whole year, but usually missed by casual passers-by. Their real beauty is revealed up close. The whole scene is just a few centimeters across and the image is actually a focus stack of 70 individual exposures taken with a macro lens.

Award: Fungi and Lichen, Third Place

"The dehesas in the Spanish region of Extremadura are home to many holm oaks. I created a multiple exposure by taking six photographs, moving one step to the left each time. This ensured the tree trunk always overlapped the trunk in the previous image. For the seventh and final photograph, I captured the field where the holm oak stood, full of white flowers. The whole scene reminded me of the painter Monet and felt impressionistic. Did I see it that way? No. Did it feel that way? Absolutely! "

Award: Abstract Landscapes, Highly Commended

At Sol de Mañana, a high-altitude geothermal field in southern Bolivia, volcanic forces beneath the surface push gases upward through pools of bubbling mud, creating an ever-changing tapestry of intricate and abstract patterns. This formation immediately caught my eye, its radiating lines and organic shapes resembling a flower in bloom, with layers unfolding like petals and leaves.

Award: Black and White, Winner

The Milky Way shines high above the Salmon Glacier in northern British Columbia, Canada. This area is usually mired in clouds during this positioning, so many factors need to line up to get this shot, including a lot of luck.

Award: Night, Winner

Takayna is an incredible part of Lutruwita/Tasmania and holds incredible cultural and world heritage values. It meets multiple criteria for World Heritage Classification, but it still needs protection. The lichen-covered rocks caught my eye and reminded me of the tens of thousands of years of culture and history of the Aboriginal people of Takayna. The distinct patterns and colors echo the incredible resilience and strength to thrive in this landscape.

Award: Fungi and Lichen, Runner Up

After several days of below-zero temperatures, a thin layer of ice had formed on this river estuary in Northumberland. A retreating spring tide had undermined the ice layer, leaving shapes reminiscent of fallen leaves.

Award: Common Places, Runner Up

Award: Abstract Landscapes, Runner Up

Scots pine and birches encrusted in thick frost on a bitterly cold winter's evening.

Award: Projects, Runner Up

Subtle forms created by a combination of wind, sand, and water on the south coast of Iceland. I often find myself going to famous places and ending up shooting beautiful, intimate details.

Award: Platinum Palladium, Runner Up

"A rare combination of parameters must line up to be able to press the shutter release. Miss just one of them, and the image simply doesn’t happen. This is what makes the 2026 Unique Aurora Shot of the Year, “Sub-Zero,” both frustrating and addictive. After scouting the glacier surface for a few days, we choose a spot and commit to the idea.

That evening, skilled ice climbers, Icelandic clear skies, and a dancing aurora came together for just a few moments, creating a brief window in which everything aligned to capture a scene that would be extremely difficult to repeat."

Award: Night, Third Place

Shot in late March, this image captures the first burst of spring blossom. A local tree that only flowers so vibrantly in unseasonably calm, warm spring conditions. Using ICM, my aim was to help the pink bloom petals wrap around the dark, twisted branches, now leaving cold, bare winter behind, while creating painterly textures and soft pastel tones

Award: Multiple Exposure and ICM, Runner Up

Everchanging conditions on a cold morning in the Caledonian forest.

Award: Projects, Runner Up

The summit of Beinn Fhada, in the Scottish highlands, above the fog on an exceptionally cold winter's morning. I'm not sure I would have believed the intense pink sky had I not been there to see it for myself.

Award: Projects, Runner Up

Last winter, as I revisited an ice cave that evolved over the last four years, I found some of the most incredible hoar frost I have seen in my life. The whole ceiling was covered in thousands of almost hand-sized ice crystals. In one corner, I found this hidden cave inside the cave, which instantly caught my attention. The final image shows a focus-bracketed image with full depth of field from front to back.

Award: Frozen Worlds, Runner Up

An aerial perspective of Skeiðarárjökull, captured from a small plane flying above the glacier's outlet. The patterns of volcanic ash, blending seamlessly with the cracks and crevasses of the ice, tell the story of a timeless ballet between fire and ice. As the unique signature of Icelandic glaciers, this picture aims to tell a bit of this story

Award: Abstract Landscapes, Winner

Two shapely Scots pine trees with An Tudair mountain behind.

Award: Projects, Runner Up

On a scorching summer day with temperatures exceeding 40°C, this aerial photograph, taken at Miklapuszta in Hungary, reveals a striking saline lakeshore resembling a snow-capped mountain peak. Hundreds of greylag geese gather in the shallow water, their movements creating delicate, brushstroke-like patterns across the surface. Photographed from an altitude of over 260 meters using a 3x zoom lens, the scene could be documented without disturbing the birds.

Award: Waterscapes, Runner Up