Travel Image of the Month Winners 2026

I like the special angle in shooting this dog sledge ride bound for Amassilik, Greenland. The blue tones of the gear and the huskies blend harmoniously with the pristine, snowy white landscape, creating a cohesive winter palette. The rider’s lying posture forms a clear leading line, guiding my eye to the husky team, which then channels attention toward the distant cruise boat and the jagged mountains at the image’s edge. The sun sits high, and its starburst anchors the sky with radiant energy, adding a bright compass to the composition. Snow trails carve a path through the scene, inviting movement and depth. A compelling shot showing good sense of place. This is the winner of the month.

Congratulations to Brian Houghton 

With thanks to Glyn Paton, this month’s adjudicator

Marylyn for a journey.  Around a tiny flat, crammed with “stuff” and it’s the “stuff” that tells the story.  Caged birds and animals, microwave, electric fans, plastic flowers, bikes and of course the dog! That’s just the stuff I can give a name to, there’s plenty more besides. What makes this a travel photo?  Because it gives us a glimpse of another world; a snapshot into a family’s life.

Why isn’t this just too busy, too cluttered?  Well it is definitely cluttered but that’s the point. We are subtly led into the picture by the flowers on the left and the bike on the right.  Then we roam around the family and eventually up the stairs and out.  The dog is an important element too. It’s almost a Vietnamese Martin Parr-esque portrait of family life and that’s why it’s such an excellent photo and the worthy winner this month.

Congratulations to Thomas Andy Branson

Thanks to Victor Wong FRPS for this selection.

A charming street view of India. A cozy narrow alley which I can almost smell the faint sting of the old building walls. My eye is drawn to the cow at the centre. Lots of details and stories to explore in here. While my attention rests on the right subject, l notice a child peeking from a left doorway, adding interest and anchoring the composition to balance the frame. The subjects’ gazes meet the lens, creating an intimate connection. The blue walls on both sides frame the scene against the distant yellow buildings, with a woman in red standing out as a focal point. It is a compelling, place-rich moment full of imagination. Well done.

Thanks to Justin Cliffe for judging this month. He writes:

Santeria Religion  Household Havana

This is an excellent travel photograph - even without knowing the title, one could assume where this was taken - in Cuba. The religious paintings on the wall, the cracks in the wall plaster and, what I do like, is the glimpse of another part of the house on the left, all look rather run-down. And yet there’s a vase of what appear to be fresh flowers on the right of the image adding a sense of normality and decor to the scene.

Particularly poignant are the, presumably, grandmother, dog on her lap, with her protective arm around the little boy - both looking straight at the camera - and therefore at the viewer. 

A really minor, picky, point we’ve lost the feet of the woman and the boy at the bottom of the image - though I’d imagine it was probably fairly cramped in the room and it was a question of including either the feet - or the top of the Santa Maria de Jesus painting.

I should add that there’s a nice finishing touch to this entry - a key-line in the same colour as the walls  - and, speaking of the main colours used - blue and yellow / pale orange - a lovely combination. 

An excellent photograph, well done! 

With many thanks to Glyn Paton for adjudication and Congratulations to Rob Morgan ARPS

This lovely picture is almost a landscape, but the herdsman, with his dog, place it firmly into the Travel category; not only that it gives the picture scale and context. It gives a sense of isolation in a huge tundra landscape. It tells a story of a long way travelled and a long way still to go. It gives us a clue to the size of the mountains and to what a cold forbidding place this is. The herdsman is perfectly placed in the picture. This image mixes beauty with a degree of danger, in that we are in such a cold and isolated environment. Well done. It must have been quite an experience to have been there.

With many thanks to Justin Cliffe for adjudication. Congratulations to Rob Morgan ARPS.

This is a strong travel image with a wonderful sense of place, combining the extraordinary baobab landscape with the everyday lives of the children. The repetition and varied scale of the trees create a nice depth to the image, while the sandy road provides a natural leading line through the frame. 

The children add human interest and a sense of narrative, making the image more than simply a landscape. The clear blue sky and warm, earthy, tones work well together.

A tighter crop, taking out the trees to the left of the frame, would, to my mind, give greater emphasis to the children whilst retaining enough of the iconic baobabs to establish the location. All in all, a very pleasing photograph and a worthy winner.

With many thanks to Victor Wong for adjudication. Congratulations to Kai Kong Wong.

I am attracted by this beautifully caught morning street scene in Havana, Cuba. The backlit figures with their long shadows immediately set the mood, turning an ordinary walk into something cinematic. I love how the classic, old-styled buildings on both sides mirror each other, and how their textures softly frame the warm tone of the early sun. The shadows and architectural edges run parallel, creating strong leading lines that guide my eye down the road toward the vanishing point. It feels like a moody, well-spotted moment, quiet and full of atmosphere. The sense of place and storytelling here is powerful, well deserving of this month’s win.