25 panoramic photos of stunning nature scenes around the world

The competition is the largest panoramic photography contest in the world, with over 4,000 photos being submitted this year from more than 1,000 photographers in nearly 100 countries.

Chinese photographer Jinyi He won multiple awards, including the overall prize and the top open nature/landscape spot.

His image "The Vein," taken in the Dushanzi district of Xinjiang, China, shows a gray, rocky canyon with clear-blue water swirling against it.

Speaking with the photography contest, He described the canyon as a "geological wonder." He also said he's "passionate about exploring majestic Chinese landscapes rarely known to western photographers."

Martin Broen traveled from the United States to the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico to photograph the underwater cave seen in his photo.

It shows the system's white rock formations, blue water in between, and a diver swimming with his gear and flashlight.

Juan Lopez Ruiz took his panoramic photo in his home country of Spain — specifically in the city of Huelva.

The aerial shot is full of color, showing a landscape that's icy blue on the sides but fiery orange in the middle.

Ruiz told the photography contest that his image shows a reservoir filled with waste from a nearby mine.

"It is an area of polymetallic massive sulphide concentration where copper, lead, and zinc are extracted, as well as gold and silver — which contributes to a great variety of textures and colors in constant change," he said. 'This makes it a unique place perfect for aerial photography."

Jinyi He's second featured photo shows a purple scene in the Kalajun area of Xinjiang, China.

There are snow-capped mountains beneath a lilac sky, a silver moon, and rows of purple flowers leading to a farm in the middle of a grassy landscape.

The photographer noted that a local herdsman brought him to the area seen in his photo, where he set up a tripod, waited for the wind to stop, and watched the sunrise, as he told the photo contest.

As the sky turned purple, He said, the photographer took more than 40 photos to create one panoramic image.

Juan Lopez Ruiz used a drone to capture the second image of his that's featured in the contest.

It shows a stunning green canyon with slopes and cracks in the ground. There's also a brown peak in the center that sits underneath abundant clouds, creating the illusion of smoke in the sky.

Luis Manuel Vilariño Lopez, a biologist and photographer from Spain, took his featured photo in Iceland.

It shows a flat, gray volcano bubbling with vibrant lava. He also captured the latter flowing out from the rock and into swirls around it.

Australian photographer Peter Harrison is also a commercial pilot, so it makes sense that his vibrant photo was taken from the air.

It shows mint-green water reaching a shore of orange sand in the Thirsty Sound strait of Queensland, Australia.

Elliot McGucken visited Death Valley National Park in California to capture his image.

It shows an up-close view of sand dunes at sunset, with what appears to be the sky behind them. But when you look closer, you'll notice that the brighter area is actually more sand dunes lit by the sun.

In Saudi Arabia, US-based photographer Nickolas Warner captured a stunning pink image of a desert with a hazy sunset behind it.

There are multiple stunning aspects of Juan Lopez Ruiz's third featured photo.

Taken in Arizona, the shot shows towering rock formations, a sky full of stars, and the photographer standing between them.

Australian photographer Callie Chee was in China when she took this panoramic photo.

It shows fishing cages and a fisherman surrounded by fog in China's Xiapu county.

Mads Peter Iversen, a photographer from Denmark, took this photo on the country's Djursland peninsula.

It shows rows of land with water flowing between them, and a person standing in the middle of the scene. Behind them is a single trail of footprints, showing how quiet the area is.

In California, US-based photographer David Swindler captured a beautiful desert scene at sunset.

His photo shows a blue sky streaked with purple, and a mountain range framed by a stone arch.

Ewa Jermakowicz's featured photo was taken on the Stokksnes Peninsula in Iceland.

She captured a snowy mountain landscape alongside an icy beach.

In his photo, Cao Ky Nhan captured the colorful scene of a bustling valley in the Cao Bang province of Vietnam.

Surrounding the area's bright-blue water are patchwork sections of rice plants, clusters of buildings, and countless mountains covered in lush greenery.

Callie Chee took her second featured photo in Iran during a solo road trip, as she wrote on Instagram.

It shows a seemingly endless desert landscape beneath a breathtaking orange sky.

"Iran is crazy beautiful and so very diverse when it comes to landscapes," the photographer wrote. "Putting politics aside, yes it's one of the safest countries that one can visit. This is the strange, other-worldly Lut desert, which is an epic shooting location that exhausted me after shooting straight for 10 hours."

While visiting Iceland, German photographer Jens Ober photographed the Vestrahorn mountain with a gray cloud looming over it.

There's also moving water in the forefront of his image, which adds some action to the shot.

Juan Lopez Ruiz also took the 18th spot with another colorful image taken in Huelva, Spain.

It shows a tri-colored landscape that's vibrant red up top, a marigold shade in the middle, and an icy blue at the bottom.

In Southern Iceland, Australian photographer Mieke Boynton photographed the braided rivers from above.

Her aerial photo shows swirling pools of water between strips of land — both of which you can only see the true form of from the air.

The 20th top photo was taken by Jinyi He.

Photographed in Xinjiang, China, the image shows the Tianshan mountain range with dark clouds above it and a full rainbow situated in the middle of the scene.

"In the morning, a rainbow was hanging in the sky after rain, and this stone forest sprang up like mushrooms under dark clouds," the photographer told the contest. "I was amazed by this beautiful scenery and set up my camera as the light went on the stone forest through these clouds."

Peter Harrison's second photo featured in the contest was taken above the Gulf of Carpentaria on the coast of Australia.

The sandy patterns in the photo resemble thin trees covered in snow.

On the west coast of New Zealand's South Island, Bikram Ghosh photographed a sunset scene.

There's bright sunlight peaking through the darkening sky, plant-covered mountain formations, and water rushing over the rocky ground.

Joshua Hermann's photo looks as if it could be a painting.

He took the image, which shows trees with colorful leaves surrounded by calm water, in the southern swamps of Louisiana.

Paolo Giudici's featured photo shows the transition between winter and spring.

He took the image in the Aveto Natural Regional Park in northern Italy. It shows the area's thin trees with sparse branches as light snow covers the ground.

Armand Sarlangue's photo shows the Skaftafellsjökull glacier in Iceland.

The French photographer captured the scene from the air, showing the surrounding rocks, cloudy sky, and broken pieces of ice in the water.