Nature

Photo © Simon Heather

1st classified

Meeting
by David Rouge


This picture is the result of a dream come true: the meeting of the desert and the ocean. As the drone climbed higher, the photographer noticed a particular atmosphere, where the light highlighted the delicious shapes of these dunes flowing into the South Atlantic Ocean.

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Runner up

Aftermath of La Palma’s Volcano Eruption
by Enrico Pescantini


The impressive eruption of volcano Cumbre Vieja hit the island of La Palma at the end of 2021. For 3 months the lava river destroyed over 3000 buildings, 90 kilometers of roads and endless hectares of banana plantations, leaving more than 2000 people homeless. The landscape chang...

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Highly commended

Blue Hour in Pamukkale
by Dimitar Karanikolov


A top-down photo of the complex geometric patterns of Pamukkale - a natural rock formation of travertine pools in Turkey. The whole palette of blue and light blue shades welcomes the viewer from right to left.

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Highly commended

Yin and Yang
by Gheorghe Popa


This is a drone view of Cuejdel lake in winter before the complete frost. Cuejdel lake is the largest natural dam in Romania, that's why half of the trees look trapped in the ice.

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Highly commended

Volcano in the Clouds
by Luis Manuel Vilariño Lopez


Thousands of earthquakes shook the Reykjanes peninsula in an orchestrated prelude to an eruption, until at 20:45 on 19 March 2021 the floor of the Geldigadalir valley gave way to the uncontainable magmatic pressure and split open, letting molten rock gush forth in an awe-inspirin...

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Highly commended

The Other Side of Sunrise
by Larry Gunn


Shiprock is a volcanic plug rising out of the desert on Native American Navajo Tribal Lands. A rock dike also formed from the volcano leads to Shiprock. The early morning light illuminates the formation in the cold morning producing an interesting shadow: it is the coldest part o...

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Commended

Wings of the White Cliffs
by Alexey Kharitonov


The White Cliffs are one of the most famous landmarks of the island, stretching out for miles alongside the shore of the Okhotsk Sea. They are made of a very light and soft pumice, as a result of the huge volcanic eruption. This pumice is being eroded by the storms, rains and num...

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Commended

Quetzalcoatl
by Armand Sarlangue


Aerial capture of the incredible rivers of Iceland. All the patterns and colors get shaped under the water surface, resulting from the layers of sediments in the water itself. The photographer called it Quetzalcoatl from the mystical creature shape he imagined from the complex pa...

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Commended

Splashed-ink Earth
by Hua Shang


Flying over the two lakes of Natron and Magadi on an helicopter allowed the photographer to take this picture. The clouds in the sky are reflected on the lake, and the flamingos are flying over it creating a magical atmosphere. From above, the colors and patterns change with the...

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Commended

Winter Is Coming
by Hristo Dimitrov


The photographer took this photo during his trip to Iceland last April. The weather was unpredictable, with a lot of wind at the beginning of the north snow storm. He just had one moment to take off with his drone and to try to take some pictures of that incredible place.

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Commended

Flying Golden Eagle
by Zhang Xiangsheng


Niubei mountain is 3888m above sea level. The ridge of the whole mountain is above the sea of clouds. The sun rises and lights up the sea of clouds and the ridge. At this time, Niubei mountain soars like an eagle.

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Commended

Hani Terraces
by Ran Tian


The photographer was fortunate to visit the Hani terraces in Duoyi Shu, Yunnan, from where the entire terraces were beautifully visible. Under the slanting sunlight, the Hani terraces are covered with layers of rich dazzling colors, looking like the God-given colorful heavenly la...

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Commended

Tidal Tree 2
by Tony Hewitt


Low tide on a remote area of Western Australia's Exmouth coast reveals a tidal creek in this spreading shape of a tree, a reminder of nature's innate design. The trunk is surrounded by flourishing vegetation, whilst the orangish branches spread through the dry land.

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Commended

Elephant Trunk Island
by Jim Picôt


This small Island inside Lake Tyrrell, bathing in the beautiful afternoon light, on the right, has the resemblance of an Elephant Trunk, and also on the left side, reminds me of a Hammerhead Shark. The incredible shape, lines, textures and colors of this unique Island make the ob...

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Commended

Fly over
by Hua Shang


Flying over the two lakes of Natron and Magadi on an helicopter allowed the photographer to take this picture. The clouds in the sky are reflected on the lake, and the flamingos are flying over it creating a magical atmosphere. From above, the colors and patterns change with the...

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Commended

Ugly Puddle
by Marek Biegalski


This beautiful maar or volcanic crater bears the name Ljótipollur, which literally means ugly puddle. Nonetheless, almost all craters that have lakes within them are exceptionally scenic and photogenic. Ljótipollur is no exception with its red and vegetated slopes and visible lav...

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Commended

Fertility
by Christian Trustrup


A hidden gem, far into the Icelandic Highlands. The photographer sent his drone up, and immediately saw this composition. He decided to call it Fertility, because of its colorful and flourishing aspect, with plenty of water and green grass.

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Commended

Ground Vein
by Xiaoying Shi


Capitol Reef National Park, located in south-central Utah, has many sandstones and boulders. Its colorful geological formations are surprisingly amazing. The earth, looking like roots, guides the viewer's gaze towards the rocky peak.

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Commended

Pink Flock in its Habitat
by Raj Mohan


The pink winged visitors are found in abundance at the Pulicat Lake of Tamil Nadu, which is the second largest brackish water lagoon in India measuring about 750 square kilometres! This is also one of the most important wetlands to attract rain clouds for the place during the sea...

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