The EPSON International Pano Awards is divided between the Open Competition, reserved for professionals, and the Amateur Competition. This year's overall winner of the 2020 Open Competition was Matt Jackisch from Canada with his creation named "Spring Hibernation."

"I was snowshoeing alone in the Coastal Mountains of British Columbia. I was surrounded by white mountains in all directions, but the light was not very interesting so I tried to focus my creative attention on smaller scenes. The entire day was given to the contemplative process. Eventually, on my return I noticed this little tree. I was reluctant to stop and pull out my camera again, as I was tired and my drinking water had frozen. But it was too special to bypass. I decided to use a zoom lens to compress and simplify this scene. I enjoyed how the textures in the snow gave a sense of motion despite the stillness, but I never imagined that this photo would win any awards in that moment!" Matt told Bored Panda.

"Of course it felt awesome [to win]. The winning image was not a typical entry, so I knew that it was a risk but that it may also stand out. I suppose there needs to be a bit of risk in art. It was great to have my creativity recognized," Matt told us. "To anyone reading this, I'd say that true creativity is an experimental process. Without vision or direction, creativity can quickly fall to back to habit. Keep your imagination active by seeking inspiration in other artists as well as having your own unique experiences."

"I have a passion for experiencing and capturing powerful displays of the natural world. My aim is to depict untold beauty of our planet through creative imagery," the winner told us. "The harder I work for an image, the more it becomes a part of me. I answer the call of the wild whenever possible, and believe that the more time one spends mindfully in the outdoors, the less they identify with the limitations of their circumstances. In sharing my depictions, I hope to awaken in people new perspectives and appreciations of our precious Earth. I reside in Vancouver, Canada and sponsor my own creativity with a career in aviation."

"Actually, I don't set out with panoramic photography specifically in mind, rather I try adapt to whatever the conditions are offering. First, I isolate a subject and then I compose the scene around the subject. Sometimes a pano works best to get the job done. Photography in general seemed like a logical next step for me as I already loved exploration and story telling. I enjoy the challenge of trying to construct a unique story with a single image," Matt explained.

The overall winner of the 2020 Amateur Competition was Juan López Ruiz from Spain with his shot called "Light and Dark on the Towers." "This shot is a view of two of the four skyscrapers that make up the Cuatro Torres financial complex in Madrid. I really liked the composition of the towers along with one of the canopies in the area. I took the image thinking of doing digital black and white processing and enhancing the contrast by adding shadows and light to create a more impressive image," the winner describes his photo.

Turns out, The EPSON International Pano Awards was founded back in 2009 by Australian landscape photographer David Evans with support from EPSON Australia. The aim of the competition is "to give the genre of panoramic photography its day in the sun, especially via the showcase of winning and top-scoring entries to media around the world."