This year, once again, we were granted a glimpse into the world’s natural beauty through breathtaking photographs.
he 16th Milvus International Nature Photography Contest sparked greater interest than ever before, receiving a record number of 2 333 entries from 31 countries.
Over the weekend, the most outstanding works were awarded during the gala of the Lynx Festival in Brașov.
In the Nature category, a drone photograph taken in Iceland by László Simán won the jury’s approval. The Hungarian photographer began taking pictures using a drone ten years ago and shared that he felt incredibly lucky that his work was chosen amongst so many outstanding entries.
The winner in the Nature of Romania category was Raul Bambu, who captured his award-winning image in December 2022 in the Căpățânii Mountains.
In the Wildlife category, Shengfu Jiao from China took the top spot. He sent a video message to thank the jury for the recognition he received for his photograph of a yak walking across the Tibetan Plateau.
Similarly, Marina Gavrikova (Russia), the winner of the Junior category, shared a video message and talked about how she managed to capture her winning photo.
The audience favourite entry was taken by Ferenc-Alpár Gothárd, who was selected for exhibition for the second time with a photo depicting a lynx.
The most anticipated moment of the awards ceremony was the announcement of the Grand Prize winner. For the first time in the contest’s history, the same photographer took home the grand prize two years in a row. The winner, Ervin Horesnyík (Slovakia), spoke emotionally about how surprised he was by the win, as he had hesitated a lot about entering and thought it unlikely that, following last year’s success, he would have another chance.
“I went out to photograph chamois, but that day I didn’t see a single animal. Just as I was heading home, I caught sight of a capercaillie. (…) It was only back home, in front of the screen, that I noticed the shape of the clouds in the background and that’s when I realised it turned out to be a good photo.” – Ervin told us. He excitedly accepted the handcrafted wooden plaque from world-renowned cameraman Gavin Thurston, recipient of five Emmy Awards and two BAFTAs.
Congratulations to all the participants for their amazing creations, and to the organisers of the Lynx Festival, România Sălbatică și Forona associations for yet another great event.
Don’t forget, that till 28 June you can admire this years’ editions selected works in Brașov, in front of the Transilvania University’s Rectorate building. If you can’t make it, the winning images and those selected for the exhibition can be viewed here.
