Sergio Tapiro Velasco of Mexico has won the top spot in this year’s prestigious National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year competition with an incredible shot of lightning striking an erupting volcano, beating thousands of other entries from participants in over 30 countries.
Taken just outside Colima, Mexico, the photograph depicts the Volcán de Colima, also known as ‘the Volcano of Fire’, one of Latin America’s most active volcanos, during a storm. Velasco has been studying and shooting the volcano for over a decade. To catch his striking image, he said that he’d been watching the volcano closely and tracking an increase in its activity for almost a month. Reportedly, while shooting on a completely clear night just 12 kilometers away from the crater, he heard a booming noise and witnessed the biggest volcanic lightning strike he’d ever seen. Until he reviewed the photos he’d taken, Velasco had no idea if he’d actually managed to captured the spectacular event.
Writing about his photograph, he said:
“When I looked on the camera display, all I could do was stare. What I was watching was impossible to conceive, the image showed those amazing forces of nature interacting on a volcano, while the lightning brightened the whole scene. It’s an impossible photograph and my once in a lifetime shot that shows the power of nature.”
As grand prize winner of the contest, Velasco will receive a 10-day trip for two to the Galápagos Archipelago with National Geographic Expeditions, as well as a $2500 prize. In addition to the grand-prize winner, top photos were selected in each of the three categories. First-, second- and third-place winners were awarded $2500, $750 and $500, respectively, as well as a subscription to National Geographic Traveler magazine. Velasco’s shot was also chosen as the winner in the Nature category, while Norbert Fritz of Hungary took home top honours in the Cities category for his photo titled ‘Levels of Reading‘, and F. Dilek Uyar of Turkey won the People category with ‘Worship‘.
Hosted annually, the National Geographic Travel Photographer the Year contest aims to celebrate stunning photos taken by people all over the globe, especially those that inspire people to see the world through a new lens. The full list of winners and honourable mentions can be seen by clicking here, but below are some of our favourites.