AWARDS 2025/2026
PANORAMIC
On April 12, 2026, the winners of the prestigious annual photography competition organized by FAPA - Fine Art Photography Awards 2025-2026 were announced. Now in its 12th year, it has become one of the leading international competitions for professional and amateur photographers worldwide. I learned that I was among the winners of the competition: the photograph I entered in the Panoramic category received the Nominee award.
THE PHOTOGRAPHY
Before dawn on a summer day, I climbed to the summit of Mount Gabler, at 2,576 meters. It is the highest peak in the Plose mountain range in South Tyrol, located in the province of Bressanone (BZ). I reached the summit by walking in the dark, using only my headlamp, when I could still barely make out anything around me. From the summit of Mount Gabler, I photographed the Odle mountain range in the Dolomites before dawn, as the first rays of light appeared. The peaks stood out as if they were part of a large cliff on an ocean coast with a stormy sea. I was fortunate to find perfect weather conditions, allowing me to capture this photograph, which I tried to do justice to the stunning natural beauty of the Dolomites.
NOMINEE
I'm very happy for one of my photographs to have won this award. I'm honored to see my image alongside the other contest winners: juxtaposing it with other striking images is always striking. Mountain photography is one of my great passions because it allows me to tell the story of the mountain environment I love to explore through images. It's an unpredictable genre of photography; sometimes it takes long hikes with a wealth of photographic equipment, early morning rises, and a lot of patience. Then it takes something uncontrollable: a pinch of luck, and the weather offers something unusual. Sometimes this magic happens, and all I can do is capture it and take home the memory.
