Travel Photographer Of The Year 2011 Award Winners Announced

Louis Montrose	Sergey Anisimov

An Elizabethan scholar and former professor at the University of California, Louis Montrose of the USA, has become the overall winner of the 2011 international Travel Photographer of the Year Awards, with two striking and very different portfolios; one documenting life in a painted village in Burkina Faso and the other depicting the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Festival in Oaxaca, Mexico.  

Photographers in nearly 90 countries submitted thousands of images for this year’s contest. Entrants from 33 countries were shortlisted and photographers from 20 countries scooped individual category awards.

From a Beluga whale beneath sheets of ice, the mysterious beauty of sand dunes in America’s Death Valley and abseiling down a thundering 225-metre waterfall, to vibrant Senegal streetlife, the snowy existence of the reindeer herders of Russia, some colourful and unusual views of London and a young Kenyan schoolgirl’s first view of a story book – via a Kindle - this year’s Travel Photographer of the Year winning images give a fascinating view of life, culture and nature around the globe.

The Young Travel Photographer of the Year award went to 17 year-old German photographer Arne Hansen for his portfolio depicting the physical impact of travel on nature. 17 year-old British photographer, Joel Biddle, took the honours in Young TPOTY 15-18 and also won the TPOTY/Young Photographers Alliance Emerging Talent Award, for his intriguing abstract images on the category theme of ‘green’. 14 year old Seamus Crowley (USA) won Young TPOTY 14 and Under, with shots of the Irish landscape, with 10 year old Swiss photographer Lisa Gehrig finishing as runner-up and 17 year old Tom Spence (UK) runner-up in the 15-18 category.

The New Talent award was won by Italy’s Edgard de Bono and Britain’s Stuart Dunn finished first in the One Shot, Wild Moments category. In the portfolio categories, Sergey Anisimov (Russia) won Cultures & Traditions, Malgorzata Pioro (Poland) Exotic, Anil Sud (Canada) Natural Elements and Franco Banfi (Switzerland) Spirit of Adventure. The beginners’ category – First Shot – was won by Guy Lankaster (UK) and Sheng Hong Tan (Malaysia).

For more information please visit the Travel Photographer Of The Year website.