Photo of Hue Woman Recognized at 2021 National Geographic Traveller Photo Contest

Winners and runners-up from the 10th National Geographic Traveller photography competition revealed. Picture: PA

The winners and runners-up of the tenth National Geographic Traveller (UK)'s photography competition have been announced and a photo capturing Vietnamese woman in traditional clothing sitting in the Hue Imperial City’s palace, by Walter Monticelli, was runner-up in the people category.

From regal portraits to breathtaking landscapes, this year’s entrants were in for a tough competition. Photographers of all levels from across the UK and Ireland were able to enter the competition, which seeks to highlight the best in travel photography.

The travel publication's annual awards aim to highlight the best photography from around the world across six categories.

"This year, we’re encouraging readers to enter their photography regardless of whether they ventured overseas in 2020 or not — adventures, we believe, are as readily available on our doorsteps as they are abroad.

"We’ve also introduced a new category: Food and Travel. Food sits at the heart of any authentic travel experience, and we look forward to seeing the ways in which entrants interpret the criteria," Pat Riddell, editor of National Geographic Traveller in the UK, said ahead of this year’s competition.

A photo from the selection of 'Iceland' by Andro Loria. All Photos: National Geographic Traveller UK

Andro Loria took the grand prize of the National Geographic Traveller photography competition with a set of aerial images of Iceland.

Grand Prize winner

'Iceland' by Andro Loria, a series of images depicting Iceland from the air on the photographer’s trips last summer and autumn.

Captured on several small aircraft trips taken during summer and autumn, Andro Loria's Iceland series was deemed the overall winner in the competition. Loria's striking collection depicts deserts, volcanoes, glaciers, mountains, coastlines, rivers and lakes.

“What an incredible selection of landscapes, mixing abstract swirling colours with frozen geyser-filled vistas that are at once cohesive and distinct,” said the judges.

“From the abstract and mesmerizing overhead shots taken from drones and airplanes to studied portraits of people and wildlife, together these images capture human behavior, changing landscapes and nature’s beauty in a way that resonates with the National Geographic brand,” said Riddell, editor of National Geographic Traveller in the UK.

Landscape category

The winner of the landscape category was Ozgun Ozdemir, who captured a small stream flowing onto the beach called Marble Hill in County Donegal, Ireland.

Breathtaking landscapes (Picture: Ozgun Ozdemir/National Geographic/PA Wire

The runner up was Jordan Banks, who shot the photo of blocks of ice cracking from the glacier into Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon in Hofn, Iceland.

Jordan Banks was the runner-up in the landscape category. He shot a photo of blocks of ice cracking from the glacier into Jokulsarlon Glacial Lagoon in Hofn, Iceland

This photograph of the Emerald Lake, in Mangya, Qinghai Province, China, taken by Jianbo Jia, was also a worthy runner up.

Jianbo Jia captured a picture of the Emerald Lake, in Mangya, Qinghai Province, China. It was also a runner-up in the landscape category

People category

It is perhaps the people we meet on our travels who have the biggest impact on our experiences of the world, and the winning image in the People category depicts a lonely ice fisherman sheltering from the elements. This icy picture of a person ice fishing on the frozen sea by the Notsuke Peninsula on Japan’s northernmost island, Hokkaido, taken by Claire Waring, was the winner in the People category.

“The angle is also fantastic, as it shows not just him fishing but the tools of his trade,” said the judges.

This picture of a person ice fishing on the frozen sea by the Notsuke Peninsula on Japan’s northernmost island, Hokkaido was taken by Claire Waring and won the people category

Two distinctly unique portraits were runners up in the category. First, a Vietnamese woman fit for royalty in traditional clothing sitting in the Hue Imperial City’s palace, taken by Walter Monticelli. Finally, this action-filled image of a local fisherman taking on tough weather in Myanmar, taken by Rajiv Joshi.

The shot of Walter Monticelli taken during a trip to the central city of Hue in Vietnam, won a runner-up award in the contest’s People category.

“While walking between temples in the Imperial City, I heard a faint melody playing in the distance. Following the sound, I reached a room in which a group of women wearing traditional clothing were playing music with traditional Vietnamese instruments. I’d been standing there for a while, taking in the sound, when I noticed this lady sitting next to the entrance enjoying the music her friends were playing,” Monticelli told National Geographic.

A Vietnamese woman in traditional clothing sitting in the Hue Imperial City’s palace, taken by Walter Monticelli, was runner-up in the people category.

Hue folk singing was named a national intangible cultural heritage in 2015 by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Hue singing was born around the seventeenth century, becoming an elegant hobby of the royal families during the long time when Hue was the capital of Dang Trong, then the capital of the whole country under the Nguyen Dynasty. It reached the peak from the Minh Mang reign (1820-1840) to the Tu Duc reign (1848-1883).

Hue singing is born from the court, then spread to the folk, blending with the thriving folk music of Hue, creating a clear local identity with two main rhythms.

The art includes singing, instruments of traditional melodies ranging from royal performance to daily life.

There are 60 folk melodies for singing and instruments in northern and southern styles.

Various traditional instruments accompany the singer including the 16-string zither, two-string zither, monochord, flute and drum.

Delicate skills in singing and playing instruments in the art of Hue folk singing bear significant local features with the accent of Hue people. The art has been considered a bridge between royal and folk music genres.

Hue was the seat of the Nguyen Dynasty, the last royal family which ruled the country from 1802 to 1945. It is home to royal tombs, ancient palaces and pagodas.

It is also home to five UNESCO-recognised heritage, namely the Hue ancient citadel relic complex – a World Cultural Heritage site; Nha Nhac (Hue royal court music) - an intangible cultural heritage item; Nguyen Dynasty’s wood blocks – a documentary heritage item; Nguyen Dynasty’s Chau ban (royal administrative documents) – part of the Asia-Pacific Register of UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme; and literature on Hue royal architecture - a documentary heritage.

Rajiv Joshi snapped a local fisherman in Myanmar tackling the tough waters. It was a runner-up in the people category

Wildlife category

A lone rabbit took the top spot in the always-popular wildlife category. Captured by photographer Mitchell Lewis in London's Richmond Park, the backlit image highlights the creature's delicate features.

A rabbit snapped basking in the sunset over Richmond Park, in London. It was taken by Mitchell Lewis and was the winner of the wildlife category

This photograph of a buzzing bee doing its job at Wisley Gardens in Surrey, taken by Dimitrios Zacharopoulos, was a runner up in the Wildlife category.

Another runner up was this spectacular image of an osprey catching a fish in Avimore, Scotland, taken by Hari Kumar Prasannakumar,

A photograph of a bumblebee on a flower at RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey was a runner-up in the wildlife category. It was taken by Dimitrios Zacharopoulos

Another runner-up in the wildlife category was this image, taken by Hari Kumar Prasannakumar, captured in Aviemore, Scotland.

Urban Environment category

Clara Dip Wan Cheung's The Veles e Vents building in Valencia, Spain, took the top spot in the Urban Environment category.

The image from Veles e Vents in Spain was taken by Clara Dip Wan Cheung, who was the winner in the urban environment category

Vai Meng Chan’s stunning image of a sunset in Rainham, England – which looks straight out of a comic book – was a runner-up of the Urban Environment category.

Another runner-up was a photograph of the view from the fifth floor of ChanMyae Guest House in Downtown Yangon, Myanmar, taken by Joshua Paul Akers.

Vai Meng Chan’s stunning image of a sunset in Rainham, England was a runner-up in the urban environment category

Joshua Paul Akers' photograph of the view from the fifth floor of the ChanMyae Guest House in Downtown Yangon, Myanmar was a runner-up in the urban environment category

Food and Travel category

Nic Crilly-Hargrave's Stallholders ready the catch for market in Veracruz, Mexico was deemed the best in the category.

“I took this image early one morning in a warehouse behind Veracruz market – it’s where meat is prepared and deliveries are unloaded, so it’s a hectic place to shoot," Crilly-Hargrave said. "It’s a race against time to get everything ready before shoppers arrive, so everyone’s pretty focused – but I spotted this moment of companionship between two men as they gutted fish. When they saw I’d taken their picture, one pointed to the other, uttering one word: ‘brother'.”

The winner of the Food and Travel was a delightful photograph of two stallholders preparing for the day in Veracruz, Mexico, taken by Nic Crilly-Hargrave.

The runners up included a picture of chefs preparing dim sum in Shanghai, taken by Ian Douglas Scott, and a vibrant image of vegetables, fruit, spices and herbs displayed at a daily food market in Urubamba, a town in the heart of Peruvian Sacred Valley, by Karolina Wiercigroch.

A picture of chefs preparing dim sum in Shanghai's Yu Garden district, taken by Ian Douglas Scott. This snap was runner-up in the food and travel category

A colourful market in Peru, taken by Karolina Wiercigroch.

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