Panorama comp deadline approaches

If you are a fan of panoramic photography, time is running out to get your entry sorted for the world’s biggest international competition dedicated to the art of panoramic photography.

Now in its fifth year, the Epson International Pano Awards invites both professional and amateur photographers from across the globe to submit their strongest panoramas in a bid to claim a share of the combined pool of cash and prize gear, worth US$40,000 (about NZ$46,000).

The earlybird cut-off date for the competition is Sunday, July 13, after which entry fees for all three sections – Open, Amateur and VR/360 – will increase until the final July 20 deadline.

As the name suggests, the Open section is for all photographers, be they professional, amateur, or student, divided into the Nature category (which includes landscapes) and the Built Environment.

The Amateur competition offers the same categories, but is open only to non-professionals and students.

The VR/360 sections has no categories and is instead dedicated to interactive panoramic images that generally encompass a 360-degree circle, or spherical view of a subject that can be explored by the viewer using software. It is open to all photographers.

Top prizes this year include a US$1500 cash prize, Epson Stylus Pro 7900 printer, and $600 Triple Scoop Music voucher for the Open category; a US$10,000 cash prize, Epson Stylus Pro 4900 printer, and $600 Triple Scoop Music voucher for the Amateur category; and a US$10,000 cash prize, Epson EB-1775 Ultra-Slim projector, and $600 Triple Scoop Music voucher for the VR/360 category.

The image at the top of the page is last year’s champion image from British Timo Liber, which topped the Open Landscape category. You can view some more of last year’s winners below.

Open, Built Environment winner: Dmitiy Moiseenko, Russia

Amateur, Nature winner: Garry Schlatter, Australia

Amateur, Built Environment winner: Ralf Regeer, Australia