Best shots from National Geographic Traveller photography award

published 2 March 2023

National Geographic Traveller (UK) has announced the winners of its 2023 photography competition. The annual event, this year in its 11th edition, celebrates the best in travel photography across a range of categories, from wildlife and landscape to food, people and urban.

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From thousands of entries, the judging panel had to decide on an 18-strong shortlist for the six categories and the grand prize, before choosing their final winners.

While open only to entrants from the UK and Ireland, the winners “reflect some of the very best images taken around the globe”, said National Geographic Traveller editor Pat Riddell. The seven winning images contain a mixture of “drama, intimacy and warmth” and capture “unique and inspiring perspectives of travel in all its forms”, he said.

This year’s winner of the grand prize was Renato Granieri, who captured an image in Sierra Leone of two newly qualified eco-guards working at the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary. The magazine said the photo, submitted in the people category, was a “firm favourite” among the judges.

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Grand Prize and People category winner - Renato Granieri

The judging panel loved the “authenticity of shared laughter; the vibrancy of the colours juxtaposed against the white wall” in the winning image of Mariama Turay (left) and Marah Hawa in Mansonia village, Loma Mountains National Park.

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Portfolio category winner - Serge Melesan

This category requires a photographer to submit ten photos for a “full photography feature” with each image able to “uniquely progress the story”, National Geographic Traveller said.

The winner was Serge Melesan, whose series was shot at Mayotte, a French archipelago in the Indian Ocean. The underwater shots were all “compelling and a few utterly outstanding”, the judges said.

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Food category winner - Simon Urwin

The winning food shot was taken by Simon Urwin at a barbecue restaurant in Brownsville, Tennessee. The judges were impressed by how the “atmospheric image transports the viewer to a dimly lit, smoke-filled restaurant” adding that the composition was “spot on”.

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Landscape category winner - Sam Davies

This shot was captured by a drone off the coast of Greenland among “constantly shifting ice”, photographer Sam Davies said. The judges said the “beautiful layers of blue” and “simplicity of the image” made it the winner.

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Urban category winner - Richard Quirke

The water feature El Paraguas at the Museo Nacional de Antropología, Mexico City, was shot by Richard Quirke and took home the prize in the urban category. The judges said it showed “patience” and “dedication” to “seek out unusual angles within our urban environments” and wait for the shot.

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Wildlife category winner - Ed Hasler

The wildlife category-winning shot was taken in Richmond Park, London, capturing a stag during the rutting season in autumn. The judges said it was notable for its “classic composition” and how it captures the “serene, intimate scene”.

Richard Windsor is a freelance writer for The Week Digital. He began his journalism career writing about politics and sport while studying at the University of Southampton. He then worked across various football publications before specialising in cycling for almost nine years, covering major races including the Tour de France and interviewing some of the sport’s top riders. He led Cycling Weekly’s digital platforms as editor for seven of those years, helping to transform the publication into the UK’s largest cycling website. He now works as a freelance writer, editor and consultant.