Natural Landscape Photography Awards Announces Its Fifth-Year 2026 Winners

The Natural Landscape Photography Awards (NLPA) has announced the results of its fifth 2026 edition, after judging more than 10,000 images submitted across categories including grand scenics, intimate details, abstracts, nightscapes, and aerial photography. Photographer Abraham Saikley won Photograph of the Year for an image of a jagged mountain range, while Lukas Furlan was named Photographer of the Year for a portfolio shot during a solo trip that took in Spain, Vienna, and the Dolomites.

The competition sets itself apart from other landscape photography contests with strict rules against digital compositing: adding any element that wasn't present at the time of capture — such as replacing skies, or inserting clouds, birds, sun flares, or rainbows — is banned outright. Techniques such as exposure blending, focus stacking, and standard adjustments like white balance and exposure correction remain permitted, and finalist images must be backed by original RAW files to verify authenticity. The top prize for Photograph of the Year is $5,000, part of a broader prize pool that includes category awards and photography equipment.