There’s something magical about a photograph that makes you pause, breathe, and instantly crave the feeling of being somewhere else. The 2025 Chromatic Awards delivered exactly that—a jaw-dropping collection of landscape images that feel less like photos and more like windows into untouched worlds. This year’s winning entries celebrate nature in its rawest, most emotional form, capturing fleeting light, dramatic weather, and landscapes that seem almost unreal. Every frame tells a story of patience, passion, and deep respect for the planet.
Taking First Place, Italian photographer Nicola Manfredi mesmerized viewers with “Blue,” a serene tribute to the quiet magic of blue hour. His image captures mountains wrapped in silence, where stillness becomes the main character. It’s the kind of scene that makes time slow down and reminds us why we chase the horizon in the first place.
Second Place went to Delaval Julien from France for “Lost Sea,” a hauntingly beautiful photograph taken on Scotland’s Isle of Eigg. With shifting winds, dramatic skies, and textured foregrounds, the image feels alive—like nature is performing a fleeting symphony just for the lens.
Rounding out the top three is Enrico Curti from Norway with “Trollvandrer.” His icy, otherworldly vision of snow-covered trees in Lapland transforms the landscape into a fairytale realm, where frozen giants seem to wander silently through the mist.
The Chromatic Awards continue to celebrate photographers who don’t just capture places—but emotions, stories, and the soul of the Earth itself.
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#1. 1st Place Winner: "Blue" by Nicola Manfredi, Italy
"Blue hours are done just to admire the beauty of the mountains with silence."
#2. 2nd Place Winner: "Lost sea" by Delaval Julien, France
"This photograph, taken on the Isle of Eigg in Scotland, captures a fascinating interplay between light, texture, and the raw beauty of this isolated nature. The shifting winds, fleeting light, and the rhythmic motion of the sea shaped the scene moment by moment. I patiently waited for the perfect harmony to emerge, as the menacing sky and the textures in the foreground lit up under a fleeting ray of light."
#3. 3rd Place Winner: "Trollvandrer" by Enrico Curti, Norway
"Trees covered with ice and snow, they look like giant trolls wandering in a desolate frozen land…that is Lapland, one of the most wonderful and fairy tale-like places in the world."
Honorable Mentions
#4. "Araucarias of the Nahuelbuta mountain range" by Alejandro Zoñez, Chile
"These images correspond to the last forest of Araucaria araucana, which survives in the Coastal Range in Chile. These specimens were heavily exploited in the past. Currently, few specimens remain located in the south of Chile."
#5. "Autumn Fairytale" by Jacob-Carl Pauw, Netherlands
"A mysterious morning on the misty Veluwe. A twisted pine rose proudly from the fog, surrounded by a few tiny, fiery autumn trees. Behind it, the landscape receded in soft, layered tones, each ridge and tree fading gently into the next, creating a subtle, painterly depth. To accentuate the scene, I lit the foreground with two carefully placed strobes, transforming the scene into a surreal, almost fairytale-like tableau — as if a fairy might step out from behind the tree at any moment."
#6. "Before the Storm" by Bhaskar Sitholey, India
"Bhaskar Sitholey is a filmmaker who balances a corporate media career with a passion for photography. His journey into photography began in 2002 while filming a rafting expedition, where the colour transparencies he shot as production stills weren’t just images, but a revelation that ignited his lifelong passion for the art form. While his career initially focused on filmmaking, producing award-winning documentaries, ad films, and reality shows for national and international clients, photography remained a constant fascination."
#7. "Bouquet of Flower wide" by Thomas Hartstang, Germany
"In a valley on the Iceland Highlands water finds its way shaping the land into majestic forms, symbolizing resilience and interconnectedness. Rivulets, streams and brooks seemingly run over and under each other, crossing, parting and melting again."
#8. "Drei Zinnen" by Nicola Manfredi, Italy
"To capture this moment, I had to put myself to the test. After a sleepless night driving, my ascent was accompanied the entire time by falling snow. Once I reached the Auronzo refuge, from there I had to blaze a trail through the fresh snow, and finally, once at the summit, I found this beautiful setting. Completely overhanging the void, I had to fight my vertigo to reach this point."
#9. "Ebb and Flow, 2025" by Ellie Davies, United Kingdom
"The South West Coast Path and the South Dorset Ridgeway are ancient trails that stretch from Dorset in the east to Cornwall in the far southwest of England. For millennia these natural elevated byways have been critically important to local people. With expansive views across the Jurassic landscape to the sea beyond, these highpoints still evoke the ancient communities who used them as vantage points and safe routes through hostile lands and as sacred destinations for religious rites and burials."
#10. "Echo of the Sea" by Nicola Manfredi, Italy
"Just a wondeful sunset over the Ligurian coast"
#11. "Ethereal Dream" by Matteo Redaelli, Italy
"A majestic waterfall in Iceland, cascading powerfully over rugged cliffs, creates a breathtaking display of nature’s raw force. In a long exposure shot, the rushing water transforms into silky, ethereal streams, flowing like liquid silver against the dark basalt rock. Mist rises into the crisp air, and the surrounding moss-covered landscape adds an otherworldly feel. This timeless moment captures the soul of Iceland’s wild, untamed beauty in a single, fluid motion."
#12. "Evening Over The Ridges" by Amanda Westrich, United States
"The photograph was taken in the foothills outside my home in California’s Central Valley on an evening when the light felt almost sculptural. A storm had just started to clear, and the last sunlight broke across the ridges, tracing their edges like fire. The contrast between the warm earth and the cool sky was striking, a moment where two moods met and balanced."
#13. "Fireman" by Thomas Hartstang, Germany
"A volcano erupts, lava finds its way and eats furrows into the earth. Water flows, sediments settle, seeds fly in. Moss and lichen begin to grow. A painting is created – like here where I see the Fireman."
#14. "Fog in Beskid Sądecki" by Wiktor Baron, Poland
"A thick morning fog rolls gently over the ridges of Beskid Sądecki, softening the landscape and creating a dreamlike atmosphere. Layers of hills fade into the distance, shrouded in silence and mystery. This fleeting moment, bathed in soft light, captures the peaceful yet powerful character of the Carpathians – perfect for lovers of minimalist, moody mountain photography."
#15. "Let me explain Tuscany" by Nicola Manfredi, Italy
"One of the most iconic spot in Val d’orcia, caught in the best conditions i’ve ever seen. This incredible golden light, mixed with fog, create this paint."
#16. "Lettuce Leaf" by Thomas Hartstang, Germany
"In a valley on the Iceland Highlands water finds its way shaping the land into majestic forms, symbolizing resilience and interconnectedness. Rivulets, streams and brooks seemingly run over and under each other, crossing, parting and melting again."
#17. "Majestic Peaks" by Nicola Manfredi, Italy
"Sunrise over this majestic peaks in the French alps, the Aguille du Midi"
#18. "River of infinity" by Thomas Lamplmair, Austria
#19. "Spikes of light" by Nicola Manfredi, Italy
"Crazy light over Dolomites in Trentino Alto Adige."
#20. "Study in Salt and Air" by Chaussee, United States
"This medium format analog photograph, taken in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, captures a moment of rare stillness where land, water, and sky dissolve into one another. The basin’s reflective surface mirrors distant mountains and drifting clouds, softening the boundary between earth and air. "
#21. "Sunrise after snow" by Yao Yuan shang, Taiwan
"Snow is rare in Taiwan. This year we experienced clear weather after a heavy snowfall, and the sunrise light just happened to shine on the sea of clouds. The scene and colors were very graceful, as if the earth suddenly began to transform from cold to warm and change. As a professional photographer, I must capture the beauty and scene of this moment and share it with the world."
#22. "The Canyon’s Family" by Luciano Demasi, United States
"This is a combination of an infrared image and a visible photo of a night sky. The photo was taken at the Joshua Tree National Park [California, USA]. The hike to reach the location is not trivial and the terrain is relatively difficult. But the effort is truly paid by the pure beauty of the oasis."
#23. "The Castillitos Battery" by Abel F. Ros, Spain
"The sun’s rays pierce the overcast sky above Cabo Tiñoso (Cartagena), reflecting off the sea in front of the dormant cannons of the Castillitos Battery."
#24. "The Gateway to the Universe" by Wutimet Bunyasirisith, Thailand
"Captured at Skagsanden Beach, Norway, this panoramic long-exposure photograph reveals the mesmerizing dance of the Northern Lights over a mirror-like reflection of snow-capped peaks. The lone figure standing beneath the aurora creates a surreal sense of scale and wonder — as if standing at the threshold of the cosmos. A true celebration of nature’s quiet grandeur and the boundless beauty of the Arctic night."
#25. "Delaval Julien, France" by The Hand of God
"I captured this photograph in the heart of the Cirque du Fer à Cheval, in the French Alps. This piece is the result of long hours of waiting, patience, and multiple attempts to capture the ideal weather conditions."
#26. "Where the Light Touches Seceda" by Andriy Stefanyshyn, United States
"From the skies above the Dolomites, Seceda awakens beneath a veil of snow and a sky painted in rose. The mountains seem to glow from within, as if light itself has chosen this place to rest. In that fleeting moment, silence turns radiant—reminding us that even the coldest peaks can burn with warmth and hope."
#27. "Undiscovered" by Nicola Manfredi, Italy
"Scouting Dolomites for new spots, is something crazy. And sometimes, leads to this hidden gems."
#28. "Touched by Light" by Khaichuin Sim, Malaysia
"The clouds were moving swiftly across the Dolomites, painting the valley in shifting light and shadow. I waited patiently for the moment when the sun would break through and touch the lonely Church of San Giovanni in Ranui, leaving its surroundings in darkness. When that beam of light finally arrived, it transformed the quiet chapel into a glowing sanctuary beneath the towering peaks — a fleeting reminder that nature’s most magical moments reveal themselves only to those who wait."
#29. "The Lighthouse" by Wilfried Hinz, Switzerland
"Photographed in Croatia. The lighthouse is at the end of the island "Hvar"."
#30. "Wushibi" by Ru Fang Dong, Taiwan
"Wushibi at nightfall, the Milky Way hanging high in the sky, and the strange rocky terrain were a night that took my breath away."
In Summary
What are the Chromatic Awards?
- An international photography competition celebrating color, creativity, and storytelling across multiple genres.
Who can participate in the Chromatic Awards?
- Both professional and amateur photographers from around the world.
What makes the 2025 landscape winners special?
- They showcase rare light, powerful emotions, and breathtaking locations captured with artistic precision.
Why are these photos so impactful?
- They combine technical mastery with emotional storytelling, turning natural scenes into unforgettable visual experiences.
Where can I see more award-winning photos?
- Visit the official Chromatic Awards website to explore all winners and finalists.
