Since starting in 2003, Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY) has become one of the most prestigious photography competitions in the world. For the most recently judged competition (2022), some 20,000 images were submitted from amateur and professional photographers from 154 countries.
So what does it take to stand out in such a tough contest? As well as some tips from winners and selected finalists over the next few pages, we caught up with TPOTY co-founder Chris Coe. ‘Winning images have to be good enough to print, but don’t let a lack of technical perfection dissuade you from entering,’ he explains. ‘There are images that are not technically very good but have a fantastic mood or sense of what is happening. The second reason that images or portfolios don’t get through is that entrants haven’t followed the brief. People tend to enter their favourite pictures, rather than the most suitable ones. So get feedback from a third party. Then, think about originality and a fresh take on the subject. It’s hard to be totally original, but you need to try to stamp your particular vision on an image.
‘Finally, if you are entering a portfolio, the images need to tell a story
