By Paul Hammett. All images courtesy of the Natural Landscape Photography Awards, shared with permission
After garnering 13,368 entries across 47 countries, the first annual released a striking collection of rugged topographies and serene wildernesses. The inaugural contest eschews digital manipulations in favor of highlighting realistic beauty around the world, and winning entries capture a brilliant lightning strike atop Matterhorn in the Alps, the moon peaking through branches at Joshua Tree National Park, and a melting iceberg on the black sand beaches of Fellsfjara in Iceland.
We’ve chosen some of our favorite images below, but you can peruse all of the top photographs encompassing abstract snippets, shadow-laden nightscapes, and wide aerial shots on . (via )
By Carl Smorenburg
By Jai Shet
By Steve Alterman
By Eric Bennett
By Matt Palmer
By Eric Bennett
By Ben Horne