Surreal Icelandic landscape wins 2023 Epson International Pano Awards

The winners of the 2023 Epson International Pano Awards have been announced. And just as always, we have ahead of us a remarkable collection of panoramic images from all over the world!

This year’s overall winner is José D. Riquelme from Spain. His surreal Icelandic landscape landed him the first place as Open Photographer of the Year, and he has also secured the top spot in the Nature/Landscape category with three of his photos.

About Epson International Pano Awards

This year, the competition received 4,414 submissions from 1,104 professional and amateur photographers across 102 countries. This signified more entries per participant and an overall surge in entries compared to 2022, showing that the Pano Awards contest keeps growing every year.

Prizes included cash awards, with Epson Australia contributing an Epson SureColor P7070 printer, an Epson SureColor P5070 printer, and an Epson EB-1795F ultra-slim projector.

Competition Curator, David Evans said:

“2023 represents a diverse collection of images, demonstrating new boundaries being pushed – such as Merche Llobera’s striking underwater panoramas. Also notable is the strong performance of entrants from Southeast Asia and Europe this year, mirrored in the entry statistics with an increase in new entrants from those regions in particular. It’s always exciting to see the competition evolve year-on-year, and without doubt 2023 is no exception.”

The winning images

José D. Riquelme, hailing from Murcia, Spain, is a fervent landscape and night photographer. Although he has a strong background in graphic design and printing, he’s been into photography for a relatively short time. He spent the first two years of his photographic journey challenging conventional photographic locations. He used his phone camera to master compositions in seemingly unremarkable environments.

Describing his winning image, The Bridge, Riquelme remarked:

“After over a dozen visits to Iceland, exploring its majestic lands, during a rest stop, I decided to change my perspective and launch my drone. To my amazement, I captured this incredible image. From above, lines form a bridge extending from left to right, while on the ground, abstract shapes emerge from the flowing river water originating from the glacier.”

The Bridge also landed Riquelme first place in the Nature/Landscape category, along with images Alone in the Dark and Ghost Cave. Alone in the Dark is set in the mysterious landscape of Deadvlei, Namibia, while Ghost Cave is an awe-inspiring panorama from the iconic Kirkjufell in Iceland.

The winners in the remaining contest categories are nothing less interesting, showing the gorgeous world around us in all its beauty. Take a look at them below, and make sure to visit the Epson International Pano Awards’ website for more information and more stunning images.

More from the Epson International Pano Awards

• The Epson International Pano Awards 2020 is a mind-blowing collection of panoramic images
• Otherworldly abstract landscape wins 2022 Epson International Pano Awards
• Surreal Icelandic landscape wins 2023 Epson International Pano Awards
• 2024 Epson International Pano Awards winning image is out of this world
• Epson Pano Awards 2025 Winners Prove Patience Creates Masterpieces

Special categories

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