Get ready to feast your eyes on some jaw-dropping images that showcase the sheer beauty of our planet. We’re diving into the Siena International Photo Awards, where photographers from all over the world have captured Mother Nature at her finest.
For this article, we’ve gathered the winning images from 2015 to 2023 in the category of “The Beauty of Nature.” So sit back, relax, and let’s take a stroll through the best of nature’s wonders.
#15 “Middle Earth” By Enrico Fossati
2nd place winner of 2017
“Before visiting Assiniboine I thought that certain places only existed in books like The Lord of the Rings. But this place really exists! It is the sum of all the beauties of an alpine landscape, with peaks, lakes, waterfalls, and streams. It is totally wild with a unique atmosphere.”
#16 “New Generation” By Fabio Savini
1st place winner of 2023
“Female Northern spectacled salamanders, also known as Savi’s salamanders, lay their eggs on submerged branches in cold waters of an Apennine stream in Italy’s Foreste Casentinesi National Park.”
#17 “Way To Hell” By Nadine Galandi
1st place winner of 2022
“A line of small erupting craters in the West of the Land of Ice and Fire. A river of lava guides the viewer’s eye, while thick smoke rises high into the sky. Seeing a volcanic eruption, hearing and smelling it, and feeling the unbelievable heat on your skin is a unique experience.”
#18 “6 Simpatici Occhietti” By Alberto Ghizzi Panizza
3rd place winner of 2015
“Three little damselflies on wild flower.”
#19 “Sensazioni, Etna In Eruzione” By Giuseppe Mario Famiani
1st place winner of 2016
“This image shows the magnificence of erupting magma, ash and gas, during the first days of December 2015, which rose to a height of several kilometers above the summit of Mount Etna.”
#20 “Aliens” By Domenico Tripodi
3rd place winner of 2021
“During a spring dive at a depth of about 6 meters, I immortalized this small hydromedusa of the Pandea conica genus, among an infinity of tiny tunicates carried by the current of the Calabrian side of the Strait of Messina.”
#21 “Natural Recycling” By Ignacio Medem
1st place winner of 2019
“In less than three days, more than one hundred crocodiles manage to transform a dead hippo into fertilizer for the river.”
#22 “Tempest” By Craig Bill
2nd place winner of 2015
“This storm was not all that big, but it made up for it in intense electrical energy and light that was just incredible. This image comprises five different lightning bursts layered over each other. After about an hour, the storm lost its gusto.”
#23 “Sandstorm” By Hannes Lochner
2nd place winner of 2021
“Three hyena, a jackal, and two elephants endure a sandstorm on a hot humid late afternoon, while the wind picks up before the heavens open. The hyenas cool off in the cool water and get rid of parasites. The dry season is over and the rainy season is on the way, promising relief for every animal in dry Chobe National Park.”
#24 “Decisive Throw” By Mike Korostelev
2nd place winner of 2016
“The bear fishes in the river, he sits down, puts his head under the water and pauses looking for fish. Once the fish begin to ignore him and come closer, he makes a crucial lunge and catches them with his paws or teeth.”
#25 “Wave Of Change” By Zak Noyle
3rd place winner of 2015
“In a remote bay miles away from any town, strong currents carried large amounts of trash into the swell as a surfer rides through the trash filled barrel.”
#26 “Sub Zero” By Tobias Friedrich
1st place winner of 2020
“Night diving at a temperature of minus two degrees Celsius in Eastern Greenland, swimming among icebergs under the ice of a fjord.”
#27 “Etna Night Scape Moving” By Dario Lo Scavo
3rd place winner of 2023
“Mount Etna during its explosive eruption in December 2021. The explosive pyroclastic material is seen bursting out with a black cloud of volcanic sand, against a dark sky that provides a stunning contrast to the floating clouds. A long exposure shot also captured the snowy landscape, illuminated by the moonlight and stars.”
#28 “Savannah Burning” By Roberto Marchegiani
2nd place winner of 2022
“A sudden fire burned a huge part of the Savannah and the rangers were unable to contain it. The fire lasted for three days and reduced entire hills to ashes. Fortunately, the trees were not affected by the flames.”
