Feast your eyes on the ‘World’s Best’ photo competition winners…

Our recent competition inviting travellers to enter their best photos showcasing the best travel experiences and destinations that the world has to offer, recently finished.

We were delighted with the number of entrants, and the sheer range and quality of the photos that we received. We were spoilt for choice when deciding which photos should be shortlisted, and the decision-making process sparked a few lively office debates!

The things that we were looking for in our winning photos were:

1. Does the photo inspire you to travel?
2. Is it a great photo in terms of content, composition and eye for detail?
3. Does the photo fulfil the brief of ‘The World’s Best’?

After the challenging task of whittling the photos down to a shortlist, we were very lucky to be able to call on the experience and expertise of Kathy Kiley, Trevor Moore and Richard Worden, of Battle Photographic Society, who know a thing or two about taking a great photo!

After much deliberation and admiration of the quality of the shots that were shortlisted, they came to a collaborative decision about the very worthy winners of the competition. All agreed that there were many hard choices to be made, but these were the shots that ticked all of their boxes, and will be deserving prize-winners:

First Prize

Our ultimate winner Borja Navas Sanchez receives a GoPro Hero camera for this stunningly atmospheric shot:

“After an exhausting day of snorkelling,  I walked along a beach in Coron Coron, in the Philippines. The tide was low, so a fishing boat was stuck in the sand with a thin layer of water that worked like a mirror. All this was complemented with an incredible sunset.”

The judges were blown away by this photo, and would have loved to have taken it themselves! They were unanimous that it should win the top prize, due to the clarity and sharpness of the photo, the lovely colours of the sunrise and the enticing subject matter, that make the location look like a lovely place to visit. As we sat in a local tearoom debating the merits of the shorlist, another customer approached me to say what a lovely photo this was – just confirming its quality and wide appeal.

Second Prize

Our talented Runner-Up  was Nick Board for his enigmatic photo, which wins him a Clever Travel Companion Top:

“Cyclo driver in Habana Vieja, Cuba.”

Our judges loved this well-composed photo of an interesting and intriguing subject matter. They thought the photo was ‘typically Cuban’, but with a twist of originality. The photo has lots of detail to explore, but the main focus is on the vehicle and passenger in the centre.

The Third Place Winner

Third in the competition was Catherine Russell, with her action-packed entry, who will be sent Backpacker: The Ultimate Travel Game:

“Ice Climbing on a glacier in Skaftafell, Iceland.”

The judges positive verdict was that they enjoyed the adventurous nature of the shot, demonstrating that not only can people achieve almost-impossible feats of endeavour, but also, that great photos can be captured in the most unusual of conditions.

Fourth Place Winner

Completing our line-up of winning entries, was this gorgeous shot, entered by Charlotte Reeve, who actually had three photos included in the competition shortlist! She has won a Sass and Belle ‘Time to Go’ Vintage Map passport holder:

“Moroccan camel train”

The judges applauded the vivid colours of this exotic shot, which contained good positioning, and interesting shadows created by the undulating dunes. They would love to go to this location themselves, and try to capture the beauty and solitude, as well as Charlotte did herself.

There were other great photos that were also great favourites out of all the many entries that we received, and which the judges liked a lot. Here is a gallery of the ones that didn’t quite win a prize, but were certainly highly-commended:

As well as the brilliant photos that were entered, there were also many inspiring captions, that highlighted the allure of travelling to new and exciting places, and maybe  capturing a beautiful moment in time, through the subtle and skillful art of photography.

We’re sure that our winner Borja Navas Sanchez will enjoy using his Go Pro Hero camera on his future travels, and we hope that all winners enjoy their prizes.  Thank you to everyone who entered, we loved looking at your favourite travel snaps.

We regularly organise competitions, so to make sure that you find out about future ones, please follow us on Facebook or Twitter @GoWalkaboutUK.  If you ‘like’ us on Facebook, you can also access a discount code for 10% off our policies (excluding Working Holiday).

To find out how we offer comprehensive, great-value travel insurance for UK travellers, seeking out pastures and experiences new, please visit our website  to find out about how we can cater for your travel plans, and how we achieve consistently high ratings on independent review site FEEFO.

We can cover your gap year or extended travel , Working Holiday policy, one-way emigration journey , Annual Multi Trip policy , or take a look at our Over 60’s travel insurance.

We think that the competition winners, and the entire Top Ten, vividly illustrate the power and inspiration of a brilliant travel photograph, and we hope that other amazing shots are just waiting to be captured in your future travels.