From the stunning mountains surrounding Canada’s Lake Louise to stylish sapeurs on the streets of the Republic of the Congo, the winning photographs from 2018’s international Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY) awards showcase the world's best travel photography.

The winning images are comprised of submissions from amateur and professional photographers from 142 countries around the world.

An international panel of judges sifted through over 20,000 photographs before deciding on a final winners’ gallery of over 150 awe-inspiring images.

The featured images were taken using a range of equipment, from top-end cameras to mobile phones, and cover categories as diverse as Faces, People, Cultures, Single Shot and Tranquillity.

Stefano Pensotti, a semi-professional photographer from Italy, was named Travel Photographer of the Year 2018, with a selection of eight exquisite images taken from different countries around the world, including Myanmar, Hungary and Mali.

Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Show all 16 1 /16 Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Timbuktu, Mali: In the last light of day the inhabitants of Timbuktu wash their clothes and take a shower in the port of Kabara. Stefano Pensotti/www.tpoty.com Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Budapest, Hungary: Széchenyi Baths, built in 1913, is the most popular the inhabitants of Budapest who come here to relax with friends. Stefano Pensotti/www.tpoty.com Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Chefchaouen, Morocco: Perfect newly picked oranges were everywhere in Chefchaouen, Morocco. Isabella Smith/www.tpoty.com Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Kollam, Kerala, India: On my summer holidays in India our neighbour’s 30+ year old Mango tree was cut down. It was a sad sight to watch as this was a fruit yielding tree, home to many birds and a lot of shade under it on a hot sunny day. Daniel Kurian/www.tpoty.com Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Lake Louise, Banff, Canada: When I first went to Lake Louise, I thought everything was beautiful not just the lake or the mountains but all of the little details. Tevin Kim/www.tpoty.com Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Thanarghat, Sadar, Bangladesh: The river was little bit dried up; thus, the sandy base was seen. These little girls lived on the other side of the river and they were playing in the shallow water while waiting for their mother. Fardin Oyan/www.tpoty.com Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Chamonix, Mont Blanc, Switzerland: A few climbers descended down to the base of Mont Blanc. Katherine Kosmicki/www.tpoty.com Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: In Tanzania, when you have albinism, you are thought to be evil. There is even a price on the head of children with albinism since killing a person with albinism is considered to bring good luck. Marinka Masséus/www.tpoty.com Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Guatemala, Santa Lucía Utatlán: Mayan woman from Santa Lucía Utatlán, Guatemala. The designs from this region incorporate colourful geometric patterns and bird motifs. Tom Law/www.tpoty.com Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo: Elie, 45, struts his stuff in the streets of Brazzaville. He has been a Sapeur for 35 years and his elaborate outfits bring joy to himself and his community. Tariq Zaidi/www.tpoty.com Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Shaanxi, China: Endangered gold: The Qinling golden snub-nosed monkey is listed as Endangered by the IUCN as only some 3,800 individuals still exist. Most people have never seen these creatures. Marsel Van Oosten/www.tpoty.com Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Mantadia National Park, Madagascar: Chameleon colours. Ignacio Palacios/www.tpoty.com Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Svalbard, Norway: A mother Polar bear and her two young cubs are migrating north, as the sea ice melts quicker than previous years. Roie Galitz/www.tpoty.com Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Amritsar, India: A Sikh pilgrim performs his ritual washing in the lake with the most famous place of worship for the Sikhs in the background. Matjaz Krivic/www.tpoty.com Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Rio Lagartos, Yucatan, Mexico: Colours of the World: Pink - Las Coloradas’. On the northern coast of Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula are the magical pink lakes of Las Coloradas. The area is actually a private salt mine adjacent to the Rio Lagartos biosphere. Daniel Burton/www.tpoty.com Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 Niger River, Mali, West Africa: Sand divers freedive down to the bottom of the Niger river to collect sand for the building industry. It’s an extremely dangerous job from which many don’t return. Philip Lee/www.tpoty.com

The Young Travel Photographer of the Year 2018 was awarded to 14-year-old Isabella Smith, from the US, for her series of pictures taken in Morocco.

Dutch photographer, Marinka Masséus, impressed the judges with her ‘Under the Same Sun’ series, which aims to raise awareness of people with albinism in Tanzania, scooping the top spot in the Faces, People, Cultures category; while French photographer Florent Mamelle’s impressive shot of the Fuego volcano in Guatemala spurting lava was awarded Best Single Image.

Tibetan pilgrims in the snow in Gannan, China, won the Chinese Hi Jian first prize in the Hot/Cold single image category; while Jose Antonio Rosas became the first Peruvian winner of a TPOTY category, winning the New Talent award for his series documenting the Candelaria celebration in Puno, Peru.