Spanish photographer Daniel Viñé Garcia has won Open Photographer of the Year at the 17th Epson International Pano Awards with his aerial panorama of Chile’s Parinacota Volcano. The global competition drew 4,084 entries from 93 countries, introducing a dedicated aerial category that attracted significant submissions.
The global competition, recognized as the world’s largest event dedicated exclusively to panoramic photography, announced its 2026 winners. Total participation reached 4,084 entries submitted by 1,037 photographers across 93 countries, representing a 19 percent increase compared to the previous year. The field divided into 2,122 entries in the Open competition and 1,962 in the Amateur division.
Daniel Viñé Garcia and the High-Altitude Win at Parinacota Volcano
Spanish photographer Daniel Viñé Garcia claimed the top open honor for his portfolio spanning the high Andes and the Argentine Puna. His winning image, titled The Sleeping Giant, captures a sunset over Chile’s Parinacota Volcano, which rises more than 6,300 meters, alongside the neighboring Pomerape peak at over 6,200 meters. Garcia’s other notable entries included the Cathedral of Starlight, a night panorama at 3,100 meters in the Argentine Puna, and My Perfect Night, taken on a salt flat in Catamarca at 3,300 meters.
The original capture was a 360-degree aerial panorama made from 33 individual exposures.
Daniel Viñé Garcia, Open Photographer of the Year
To secure the ideal conditions, Garcia spent three days and three nights acclimatizing at roughly 4,500 meters above sea level.
New Aerial Division Reshapes the 2026 Competition
After seventeen years of requests from entrants, the organizers introduced a dedicated aerial category for both open and amateur competitors. The division immediately drew 680 entries, showcasing landscapes captured from above tripod level.
The aerial category is a perfect example of why the competition has stayed relevant for 17 years.
Craig Heckenberg, Managing Director of Epson Australia and New Zealand
Photographers Win Major Categories for Complex Images
Other major category victories spanned continents and technical disciplines, highlighting complex composites and remote expeditions.
| Award Category | Winner | Winning Work & Location |
|---|---|---|
| Open Nature and Landscape | Mikel Iraeta | Double arch on Milford Sound, New Zealand |
| Open Built Environment | Xuecheng Liu | Center of the Cosmos, New York, USA |
| Amateur Built Environment | Sebastián Cantos Navalon | Recognized alongside top tier |
| Epson Digital Art Prize | Preeti and Prashant Chacko | The Rugby Players, Kenya |
| Southeast Asia Open Winner | Wutimet Bunyasirisith | The Emerald Arch Over Lofoten, Norway |
His composite image combined 107 individual frames to capture a double arc of the Milky Way above the mountains.
It is very difficult to have an entire clear night with no rain, no clouds, no moon,
Mikel Iraeta, Open Nature and Landscape winner
Mikel Iraeta noted that the final image was the result of combining 107 different photographs.
Meanwhile, Bangkok-based photographer Wutimet Bunyasirisith was named Southeast Asia Open Photographer of the Year for a northern lights panorama captured in Norway’s Lofoten archipelago. Szabi Nemeth took the highest-scoring vertical image with Between Giants, and Max Terwindt received the curator’s award. Xuejun Long of China won Amateur Aerial with Journey of Life photographed at Lake Magadi in Kenya, and Preeti and Prashant Chacko won the Epson Digital Art Prize for The Rugby Players, an image of white rhinos in Kenya's Solio Game Reserve.