In case you didn’t know, The Siena International Photography Awards happens to be one of the world’s most prestigious photo contests that attract the highest international participation. The 2017 edition received a whopping 50,000 images from both professional and amateur photographers spread across 161 countries. The competition showcases some of the most mind blowing images in categories like adventure, fascinating faces and characters, Fragile Ice and more. This is a list of 30 of the best award winning photographs taken this year which were recently announced.
A shot of a male Polar Bear sleeping on the floating sea ice I the Fjords of Eastern Spitsbergen portrays the growing concern of global warming and how Polar bears blindly trust ice for survival.
Image Source: sipacontest.com
A shot of fancy types of icebergs in Disko Bay originating from the Jakobshavn glacier. The formations have been caused by melting ice because of global warming.
Image Source: www.fotopolis.pl
Taken by photographer Pedro Armestre in Svalbard when Greenpeace held a performance with famous Italian composer and pianist Ludovico Einaudi on the Arctic Ocean to create awareness and promote its protection.
Image Source: www.savethearctic.org
Taken in Yamal Siberia of a Nenet girl collecting wood. The Nenets are the last of the nomadic tribes existing in Russia who live in the most inhospitable conditions where winter temperatures drop to -40 degrees centigrade. The little girl’s name is Olya and she is 6 years old.
Image Source: sipacontest.com
Taken during the Massive Attack concert in Pula, Croatia showing how the selfie culture has grown to dominate the young generation.
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Koral in the South of Xinjiang during October. Koral is the home of the pear tree and this desert region is full of it. The autumn colors captured here is fantastic.
Image Source: hronika.info
Taken in Lalbagh, Bangalore India, this is an incredible shot with a very suitable caption symbolic of the harassment and eve teasing women face in India.
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Take in Wrangel Island, Russia where millions of snow geese come to nest from North America. The area is the world’s largest breeding ground for snow geese where arctic foxes regularly come to prey in the eggs.
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This was taken in Wolong China and is a shot of YeYe a 16-year-old Panda in Wolong conservation center. Her Cub was recently released into the wild after two years of special training.
Image Source: www.worldpressphoto.org
While the photographer was diving in the waters off Mexico, he came across this baby sea lion and clicked the photo instantly.
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A spectacular photo taken on a winter morning on the border of Namibia and Angola. These are antelopes that usually cross this area of the desert to locate water.
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This is a fantastic shot of bears having just climbed out of the water searching for fish. The guy in the middle has a real mean expression on his face too.
Image Source: www.marcomercuri.it
Truly deserving of a remarkable award, this shot of a kingfisher with its food and sitting o a branch even as the frost is melting is beyond words.
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The beauty of nature category where the photographer chasing this storm in Black Hawk, South Dakota USA found the perfect shot and timing. The storm developed into a supercell.
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Take in Assiniboine Provincial Park where the beauty of the Alpine landscape looks straight of a JR Tolkien story and can easily be mistaken for Middle Earth.
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Taken in Tossa di Mar Guirona Spain, this is a remarkable shot taken with long exposure so that the lightning too could be captured at the precise moment. The entire image has been lit up because of the full moon.
Image Source: sipacontest.com
Taken during the Rio Olympics in Brazil, this is a shot of the British cycling team winning the gold medal and breaking a world record in the men’s pursuit race.
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A photograph of Gael Monfils of France diving to hit the ball at his fourth-round match i9 the Australian Open Tennis tournament held in Melbourne.
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Another dramatic and spectacular photograph of the mountainside even as the climber looks just a speck against the rocks.
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A beautiful shot of a Chinese girl in full traditional attire and sitting atop what appears to be a peach or large cherry tree.
Image Source: sipacontest.com
This looks as if it is straight out of some painting. The overtly stationery looks of the subjects and the colors of the canvas make it ethereal.
Image Source: fineartphotoawards.com
This is one of a series of monochromes submitted in the storytelling category that highlights the ongoing refugee crisis which seems to have no solution in sight.
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A beautifully timed shot of the flatiron building during a snowstorm
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Almost every photograph in this category deserves special mention as you can see each shot has ben clicked with perfect timing.
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Taken in Butou Sichuan where small children are usually made to carry such loads to feed livestock.
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This is what the author an under 20 teenager wrote for his submission “Can you tell me? How shall I educate myself when war is going on every single day?
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This is a shot taken at Baikal Lake in Russia which freezes gradually. This part of the Olkhon Caves where stalactites regular appears after snow storms.
Image Source: www.sipacontest.com
This is one incredible photograph with the first swim along with an ever obliging and interactive humpback whale. This is an adventure of a lifetime where the subject is dancing with whales.
Image Source: sipacontest.com
US photographer on contract with National Geographic, Amy Vitale won the award of an author of the year award her series of photographs I the storytelling category depicting the conservation effects of the Hetaoping Wolong Panda center in China.
Image Source: www.huffingtonpost.com
The overall contest winner of the Siena Photography awards was renowned National Geographic photographer Randy Olsen for his fantastic shot of lightning strikes captures at Ogallala Aquifer near Wood River Nebraska. What is spectacular is the flock of cranes flying against the lightening backdrop.
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