The Natural Landscape Photography Awards Spotlight Phenomena and Stunning Topographies Around the World

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 Natural Landscape Photography Awards 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 the contest’s site. (via Peta Pixel)