Vietnamese photographer Ly Hoang is among the finalists of the Travel Photographer of the Year 2015 competition (<a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tpoty.com" target="_blank" target="_blank">www.tpoty.com</a>). Ly's image of a man transporting bamboo fishing baskets in Tat Vien village, Hung Yen Province earned a special mention from judges. (Photo: Ly Hoang/www.tpoty.com)
Bamboo fishing baskets (Vietnam) —
Vietnamese photographer Ly Hoang is among the finalists of the Travel Photographer of the Year 2015 competition (www.tpoty.com). Ly's image of a man transporting bamboo fishing baskets in Tat Vien village, Hung Yen Province earned a special mention from judges. (Photo: Ly Hoang/www.tpoty.com)
Ly Hoang Long/www.tpoty.com
The warm, rich colors don't detract from the obvious chill factor in this image by Germany's Gunar Streu, which was commended in the "moment of light" category. The photo shows a cabin covered in hoar frost in the Dundret nature reserve, Swedish Lapland, as northern lights illuminate the dusk sky. (Photo: Gunar Streu/www.tpoty.com)
Dundret nature reserve (Sweden) —
The warm, rich colors don't detract from the obvious chill factor in this image by Germany's Gunar Streu, which was commended in the "moment of light" category. The photo shows a cabin covered in hoar frost in the Dundret nature reserve, Swedish Lapland, as northern lights illuminate the dusk sky. (Photo: Gunar Streu/www.tpoty.com)
Gunar Streu/www.tpoty.com
Polish photographer Rafal Ziejewski earned a special mention in the "faces, people, encounters" section of the competition for his image of a young girl of the Dassanech tribe in Omorate, Ethiopia.(Photo:Rafal Ziejewski/www.tpoty.com)
Omorate (Ethiopia) —
Polish photographer Rafal Ziejewski earned a special mention in the "faces, people, encounters" section of the competition for his image of a young girl of the Dassanech tribe in Omorate, Ethiopia.(Photo:Rafal Ziejewski/www.tpoty.com)
Rafal Ziejewski/www.tpoty.com
American Spencer Cox, 18, was named Young Travel Photographer of the Year (ages 15 to 18) for a series of atmospheric images of Iceland, including this chunk of ice on Jökulsárlón beach. (Photo: Spencer Cox/www.tpoty.com)
Jökulsárlón beach (Iceland) —
American Spencer Cox, 18, was named Young Travel Photographer of the Year (ages 15 to 18) for a series of atmospheric images of Iceland, including this chunk of ice on Jökulsárlón beach. (Photo: Spencer Cox/www.tpoty.com)
Spencer Cox/www.tpoty.com
A timeless image that could've been taken anywhere across rural Europe, anytime over the past century, earns Australian Kanashkevich Mitchell the top prize in the "faces, people, encounters" category. His photo shows a Hungarian-Romanian man taking a break from plowing a field in Maramures, Romania. (Photo: Kanashkevich Mitchell/www.tpoty.com)
Maramures (Romania) —
A timeless image that could've been taken anywhere across rural Europe, anytime over the past century, earns Australian Kanashkevich Mitchell the top prize in the "faces, people, encounters" category. His photo shows a Hungarian-Romanian man taking a break from plowing a field in Maramures, Romania. (Photo: Kanashkevich Mitchell/www.tpoty.com)
Mitchell Kanashkevich/www.tpoty.com
American Chase Guttman, 18, is another Young Travel Photogapher of the Year winner. His entry documented life in the landlocked African kingdom of Lesotho, including this image of a Basuto tribal leader and local shepherds in Semonkong. (Photo: Chase Guttman/www.tpoty.com)
Tribal leader and shepherds (Lesotho) —
American Chase Guttman, 18, is another Young Travel Photogapher of the Year winner. His entry documented life in the landlocked African kingdom of Lesotho, including this image of a Basuto tribal leader and local shepherds in Semonkong. (Photo: Chase Guttman/www.tpoty.com)
Chase Guttman/www.tpoty.com
In the cold northerly wilderness of Yakutia in Russia, a wolf hunter poses with the head of his prey in this grizzly scene captured by Brit James Morgan. The image was a winner in the nature and environment catergory. (Photo: James Morgan/www.tpoty.com)
Wolf hunter (Russia) —
In the cold northerly wilderness of Yakutia in Russia, a wolf hunter poses with the head of his prey in this grizzly scene captured by Brit James Morgan. The image was a winner in the nature and environment catergory. (Photo: James Morgan/www.tpoty.com)
James Morgan/www.tpoty.com
Spanish photographer Francisco Mingorance was a runner up in the nature and environment category for this image of the Rio Tito in Andalucía. The river runs red due to iron dissolved into the water.(Photo: Francisco Mingorance/www.tpoty.com)
Rio Tinto (Spain) —
Spanish photographer Francisco Mingorance was a runner up in the nature and environment category for this image of the Rio Tito in Andalucía. The river runs red due to iron dissolved into the water.(Photo: Francisco Mingorance/www.tpoty.com)
Francisco Mingorance/www.tpoty.com
German photographer Uli Kunz captured this jumping man in a tunnel beneath the North Sea island of Heligoland, a popular German tourist resort. The image was a winner in the competition's "moment in light" category. /www.tpoty.com)
Heligoland (Germany) —
German photographer Uli Kunz captured this jumping man in a tunnel beneath the North Sea island of Heligoland, a popular German tourist resort. The image was a winner in the competition's "moment in light" category. /www.tpoty.com)
Uli Kunz/www.tpoty.com
Dutchman Jasper Doest departs from the traditional tourism trail to take this photo of water being sprayed over a municipal waste site to dilute acids. The image, taken in Marchena, southern Spain, was a winner in the competition's "water" category. (Photo: Jasper Doest/www.tpoty.com)
Marchena (Spain) —
Dutchman Jasper Doest departs from the traditional tourism trail to take this photo of water being sprayed over a municipal waste site to dilute acids. The image, taken in Marchena, southern Spain, was a winner in the competition's "water" category. (Photo: Jasper Doest/www.tpoty.com)
Jasper Doest/www.tpoty.com
Another "water" category winner shows salt flats in the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia's Afar region. Portuguese photographer Joel Santos's image shows a salt miner taking a camel caravan to a mining site.(Photo: Joel Santos/www.tpoty.com)
Salt flats (Ethiopia) —
Another "water" category winner shows salt flats in the Danakil Depression in Ethiopia's Afar region. Portuguese photographer Joel Santos's image shows a salt miner taking a camel caravan to a mining site.(Photo: Joel Santos/www.tpoty.com)
Joel Santo/www.tpoty.com
Chinese photographer Zhu Jingyi scooped the competition's "new talent" prize for a series of images depicting street culture of Jiangsu, the province to the north of Shanghai. Among his subjects is this blacksmith. (Photo: Zhu Jingyi/www.tpoty.com)
Blacksmith (China) —
Chinese photographer Zhu Jingyi scooped the competition's "new talent" prize for a series of images depicting street culture of Jiangsu, the province to the north of Shanghai. Among his subjects is this blacksmith. (Photo: Zhu Jingyi/www.tpoty.com)
Zhu Jingyi/www.tpoty.com
Is one of these birds trying to catch a ride? It's hard to say in this photo of avian interaction by Chinese photographer Jianhui Liao taken in Jiangxi province's Nanchang. (Photo: Jianhui Liao/www.tpoty.com)
Nanchang (China) —
Is one of these birds trying to catch a ride? It's hard to say in this photo of avian interaction by Chinese photographer Jianhui Liao taken in Jiangxi province's Nanchang. (Photo: Jianhui Liao/www.tpoty.com)
Jianhui Liao/www.tpoty.com
The business of death in Varanasi, on the banks of the Ganges in northeastern India is the subject of Austalian Gary Pullar's image. <br />Here, the "doms," or caretakers who manage the cremation process clamber over the remnants of discarded shrouds. Photo: Gary Pullar/www.tpoty.com)
Varanasi (India) —
The business of death in Varanasi, on the banks of the Ganges in northeastern India is the subject of Austalian Gary Pullar's image.
Here, the "doms," or caretakers who manage the cremation process clamber over the remnants of discarded shrouds. Photo: Gary Pullar/www.tpoty.com)
Gary Pulla/www.tpoty.com
Another image from the "faces, people, encounters" category shows the ritual scarring endured by a member of a so-called crocodile cult of people who believe they share a common ancestry with reptiles. Brit Stuart Redler took this photo in Middle Sepik, Papua New Guinea. Photo: Stuart Redler/www.tpoty.com)
Middle Sepik (Papua New Guinea) —
Another image from the "faces, people, encounters" category shows the ritual scarring endured by a member of a so-called crocodile cult of people who believe they share a common ancestry with reptiles. Brit Stuart Redler took this photo in Middle Sepik, Papua New Guinea. Photo: Stuart Redler/www.tpoty.com)
Stuart Redler/www.tpoty.com
Another Brit, Tim Allen, earned a "faces, people, encounters" runner-up prize for this image of Kazakh wedding season in Western Mongolia's Altai Mountains, Western Mongolia.(Photo Tim Allen/www.tpoty.com)
Altai Mountains (Western Mongolia) —
Another Brit, Tim Allen, earned a "faces, people, encounters" runner-up prize for this image of Kazakh wedding season in Western Mongolia's Altai Mountains, Western Mongolia.(Photo Tim Allen/www.tpoty.com)
Timothy Allen/www.tpoty.com
It's not just people who struggle with early morning starts. Austrian photographer Brigitta Moser's "nature and wildlife" photo shows a meerkat getting to grips with the day in Little Karoo, South Africa.(Photo: Brigitta Moser/www.tpoty.com)
Meerkat (South Africa) —
It's not just people who struggle with early morning starts. Austrian photographer Brigitta Moser's "nature and wildlife" photo shows a meerkat getting to grips with the day in Little Karoo, South Africa.(Photo: Brigitta Moser/www.tpoty.com)
Brigitta Moser/www.tpoty.com
Canadian Larry Louie traveled to the Tibetan Tagong grasslands of Sichuan province to capture prayer flags fluttering under leaden skies. His image was selected as winner in the "colors of the world" category. (Photo: Larry Louie/www.tpoty.com)
Tibetan prayer flags (China) —
Canadian Larry Louie traveled to the Tibetan Tagong grasslands of Sichuan province to capture prayer flags fluttering under leaden skies. His image was selected as winner in the "colors of the world" category. (Photo: Larry Louie/www.tpoty.com)
Larry Louie/www.tpoty.com
Dutch photographer Marsel van Oosten was named overall winner of the competition for a series of black and white images from across the planet. Here a great white pelican checks out Van Oosten's camera with his beak aboard a ship in the Atlantic Ocean at Walvis Bay, Namibia. (Photo: Marsel van Oosten/www.tpoty.com)
Great white pelican (Namibia) —
Dutch photographer Marsel van Oosten was named overall winner of the competition for a series of black and white images from across the planet. Here a great white pelican checks out Van Oosten's camera with his beak aboard a ship in the Atlantic Ocean at Walvis Bay, Namibia. (Photo: Marsel van Oosten/www.tpoty.com)
Marsel van Oosten/www.tpoty.com
Another image by overall winner Marsel van Oosten shows giant cypress tress on a bayou in Lousiana's Atchafalaya Basin on a misty morning. The area is the largest wetland in the United States. (Photo: Marsel van Oosten/www.tpoty.com)
Atchafalaya Basin (Louisiana) —
Another image by overall winner Marsel van Oosten shows giant cypress tress on a bayou in Lousiana's Atchafalaya Basin on a misty morning. The area is the largest wetland in the United States. (Photo: Marsel van Oosten/www.tpoty.com)
Marsel van Oosten/www.tpoty.com