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The winners of the 2025 Epson International Pano awards have been announced, showcasing photographs of our great, big, beautiful world in ultra-wide glory. Italyâs Alex Wides (Alessandro Cantarelli) won the Open Photographer of the Year and the Nature/Landscape category for his fine-art landscapes (seen above and below). Among this yearâs 3,423 entries, there were more photographs of the Northern Lights than usual, coinciding with the 11-year solar cycle maximum. Â
âLast Fireworksâ is the first place category and open competition overall winner. Describing Last Fireworks, Wides said, âAs the sun went down, the sky literally exploded. Layer after layer of clouds lit up, painting the desert with fire and gold. Using my Sony A7 IV with a fisheye lens on a tripod, I captured a full multi exposure sequence at f/8 and ISO 100, rotating carefully around the nodal point to create a seamless 360° panorama.â Image: Alex Wides (Alessandro Cantarelli) / The 16th Epson International Pano Awards.
âThe Pano Awards entries are always exceptional and this year the creativity has truly been taken to the next level,â Epson Australia Managing Director Craig Heckenberg said in a press release. âItâs great to see so many more wide and ultra-wide panoramic shots this year, a format close to our hearts, as they are able to be truly and properly represented by Epson wide-format photo printers. The Pano awards entrants are an inspiration for all photographers of all skill levels. At Epson we pride ourselves on embodying innovation and creativity, hence why we continue to support and sponsor these unique awards.âÂ
Additional category winners and other awe-inspiring panoramic images are below. (Click to expand images to full screen.)
Kevin Nyun won Amateur Photographer of the Year for three entries including, âThe Altiplano Landscape taken in Bolivia. Image: Kevin Nyun / The 16th Epson International Pano Awards.âHverarĂśnd Auroraâ won first place in the VR/360 photography category. Christoph Simon of Germany snapped this image of the aurora borealis over the HverarĂśnd geothermal area in Iceland. Image: Christoph Simon / The 16th Epson International Pano Awards. Daniel ViùÊ Garcia from Spain won the Epson Digital Art Prize with âTides of Traditionâ taken in Hoi An, Vietnam. Commenting on his image, ViùÊ says , âIn this coastal village of Vietnam, survival is woven in silence. These women, working in morning shade and salt-laden air, are the unseen guardians of sustenance. The nets they mend are not mere tools, but lifelines binding sea and community together.â  Image: Daniel ViùÊ Garcia/ The 16th Epson International Pano Awards.Vitaly Golovatyuk was awarded the best aerial pano for this photo of Hong Kong called âNot A Tiny HK Island.â Image: Vitaly Golovatyuk /The 16th Epson International Pano Awards.In âVarious Flowers,â patterns captured by polarized light after hydrolysis and crystallization. Image: Yuan Ji / The 16th Epson International Pano Awards. A small lizard with a large lion in the Serengeti of Tanzania in âThe Lion Whisperer.â Image: Marina Cano/ The 16th Epson International Pano Awards.Chris Byrne won the Curatorâs Award for this peaceful image of Mount Rainier in Washington State titled âElysium.â Image: Chris Byrne/ The 16th Epson International Pano AwardsA humpback whale in Tonga swims by an island in âThe Whales Welcome.âImage: Matthew Smith/ The 16th Epson International Pano Awards.In âShining in the Silence,â fireflies glow in Taiwan.  Image: Shirley Wung/ The 16th Epson International Pano Awards.The sun rises over Lofoten, Norway alongside a colorful rainbow in âLofoten Sunrise.â Image: Stefan Liebermann/ The 16th Epson International Pano Awards.âForest of Yellowâ features a close-up of pollination in action in Idaho. Image:Brian Clopp / The 16th Epson International Pano Awards.âJackpotâ was taken in Rago National Park, Norway. Alex says, âAfter finishing tours on Senja Island, I hiked up to the shoot location hoping for a good weather window. When I opened the tent on the last try, I hit the Jackpot. The sky exploded in a spectacular half hour of Northern Lights. This was a perfect reward after years of waiting.â Image: Alex Wides (Alessandro Cantarelli) / The 16th Epson International Pano Awards.
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