Moravia deemed one of the world's most photogenic landscapes

Rolling hills in Slovácko (or Moravian Slovakia, in the southeast of Czechia) have helped a photographer become the overall winner of the prestigious 2023 Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY) international competition.

Slovene photographer Andreja Ravnak's series of pictures, which feature a harvest of hops at a hilly landscape near the town of Kyjov in South Moravia, fulfilled the TPOTY criteria of submitting the most aesthetic, meaningful, and eye-catching photos from around the world.

"In this year's finals of the TPOTY competition, I saw many excellent and creative photographs, and it is a great honor for me that my work was awarded," said Ravnak. As part of her submission, she also added a photograph depicting an aerial view of rural fields around a hill in Tuscany, Italy.

Amateur and professional photographers from over 150 countries submitted more than 20,000 images to the jury for evaluation. The winning and award-winning entries, according to the organizers, form a "truly exceptional collection of contemporary travel photography."

TPOTY, now in its 21st year, is considered one of the most illustrious photography competitions in the world. According to its website, it is run "by photographers, for photographers."

Czech photographer Jaroslav Hora earned a special mention in the 2024 TPOTY competition with his landscape photo of the Namibian desert.

The competition, which is open to photographers worldwide, has consistently recognized the beauty of Slovácko. In 2016, the Condé Nast Traveler magazine included the region in its list of the 50 most beautiful places on the planet. And this year, Slovácko once again proved to be a top contender as it ranked among the 27 most beautiful places in Europe.

This is not the first time that Moravia's landscape has won an acclaimed photography competition. A photo depicting shades of green across rolling hills in the Czech Republic's South Moravian region won the 2022 Earth Photo competition's "Place" category.

In terms of other photo competitions, Czech photographer Tomáš Vocelka in 2021 was one of the winners of the prestigious Sony World Photography Awards. Vocelka came first in the "Architecture and Design" category with his photo series showcasing a pet crematorium in the Czech Republic. His series, titled "Eternal Hunting Grounds," captured the evolution of a former military compound into a pet crematorium.