In 2016 the competition brought an excellent crop of images. If you have the time and are curious, take a look at the 100 photos that made it through the first rounds: their quality and freshness are truly surprising. Then we made a selection of the 20 best photos that we submitted to the jury. And now it’s time to announce the winners of the 2016 Travel Photo and Video Competition.
The best travel pictures of 2016
This year’s jury had a difficult task, and several photographs that also deserved a prize narrowly missed out. Photos that tell stories, invite us to discover other places and show the world through a traveller’s eyes. It is inevitable in a competition like this.
Without further ado, let’s meet this year’s winners, together with Josep M. Palau, the judge for the 2016 edition.
First prize – The Pilgrim of Silence (Iran), by Xavier Grande
Josep M. Palau: I find that this image suggests a story, like a setting where something is about to happen. Where is the girl going? Why? What is she doing in an ancient, desolate landscape steeped in history? The diagonal formed by the towers creates a balanced image, but the one crossing it along the girl’s path adds tension. In the background, a threatening city… it all fires the imagination.
Second prize – Dawn in Plitvice (Croatia), by Iñaki Landa
Josep M. Palau: The photograph from Croatia captures the magic of the moment. You can almost feel the dampness and hear the wind in the trees. The different layers of the landscape are beautifully captured, giving a sense of depth. The image has clearly been adjusted using editing software, but it has been done with care.
Third prize – Gobi Desert (Mongolia), by Magaly Barreiro
Josep M. Palau:A balanced composition, skilfully executed, with just the right amount of light on the tents and grass to preserve the magic of the night sky. It follows the rule of thirds perfectly, with even the Milky Way in just the right place. The image also suggests a story: you can imagine the Mongolians inside the tents, sheltering from the cold for a night beneath an extraordinary sky.
Around the World Prize – Tuareg and adventure on your back (Madagascar), by Elisa Serrano
The idea was to photograph the Viatges Tuareg logo travelling around the world, with our distinctive orange backpack taking centre stage. Forty entrants and a prize for the image of Elisa Serrano in which you can almost feel the friction of the sharp edges of the Madagascar’s Tsingy.
Facebook public vote award – Himbas (Namibia), by Josep M. Isach
You chose the winner of this public vote category: the photograph taken by Josep M. Isach on his trip to Namibia. So much is happening in a single photograph!
Best travel videos 2016
We could tell the competition for the prizes would be fierce. All thirteen members of the Viatges Tuareg team voted for the videos, each choosing our two favourites, and the results were extremely close. Paula Tel has won with her video about Thailand. There was a tie for second and third place: Oscar Blanco with his video of Namibia, and Ferran Cano with the one he filmed on his trip to the USA. As both deserve the prize, this year we will have two runners-up (and no third place).
First prize – Video «Adventure trip to Thailand as a family» by Paula Tel
This video from Thailand It is an invitation to enjoy adventures with the whole family: jungle walks, elephants, rafts, magnificent beaches in the rain, monuments, temples, meals, adventure… The closing motto, “We are the sum of all the moments in our lives”, could hardly be more fitting.
Second prize – Video «Travel to the United States» by Ferran Cano
Ferran’s video tells the story of his family trip to the west of United States, showing the scenic highlights of that corner of the world. Entertaining and well explained, with details such as opening credits reminiscent of a 70s Western.
Second prize – Video «Namibia, Safaris and stars» by Oscar Blanco
Oscar's video is truly spectacular and shows us skies we could never have imagined in Namibia. The photographs he entered in the competition could also have won awards.
It is a shame not to award a prize to the other video entries. Silvia Ruiz had us dancing to Cuban rhythms with her images. Andreu Amela and Marta Rosas separately offered two different views of the same trip to Sicily and the Aeolian Islands. Laura Esteve’s images make us envious, both for the affection they convey and because she visited Lake Natron, which will undoubtedly feature on our upcoming trips to Tanzania. Our valued contributors August Plana (Vietnam) and Eduardo G.Garronera (Trans-Siberian) also narrowly missed out on prizes, along with the Borras Llonc family’s USA video and the images of Madagascar by Aurora Díaz and Manuel Gutierrez.
Casanova Photo Award
The shop Casanova Foto is a leading name in Barcelona’s photography scene and is supporting this year’s competition with a a €150 training voucher, valid for any digital photography or image editing course taught by Casanova Foto.
The prize went to participant 96 on the list, the number corresponding to Elisabet Soleda, who also submitted magnificent photographs from her trip to Nepal “Annapurna Trek”. Congratulations, Elisabeth.