Chasing the Light: Winners of Our Golden Hour Photo Contest

We’re thrilled to reveal the winners of our 2026 Golden Hour Photo Contest!

From dramatic landscapes to quiet moments of natural beauty, these ten photos capture the awe-inspiring essence of our planet. Five were chosen by reader votes, and five were hand-selected by our editorial team.

Let these stunning shots spark your desire to travel, explore, and reconnect with the natural world.

First up, the People’s Choice winners, followed by our Editor’s Picks.

People’s Choice

1. Golden Hour at the Grand Canyon

Grand Winner

Photographer’s Name: Tasnim Chowdhury

Location of Photo: Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Description: It was a cloudy day, but the clouds kept moving and the sun slowly started to set. The view was beautiful and honestly, we didn’t expect to see something like that.

2. Reine in the Midnight Sun

Photographer’s Name: Yelena Ptashinskaya

Location of Photo: Reine, Lofotten Islands, Norway

Description: We had to hike the Reinebringen trail to reach the viewpoint just before midnight. The sun never disappeared below the horizon, casting golden rays across Reine.

3. Golden Hour Grazers

Photographer’s Name: Stephen Quinn

Location of Photo: Assateague Island, Maryland

Description: Drove 5 hours to hopefully capture this moment with my brother. First time going to Maryland to photograph the wild horses and didn’t even know I was going to see them let alone capture them grazing in the sunrise glowing because of golden hour! Just seeing them free like they should be and respected by everyone around was just an amazing moment!

4. Curly Cue

Photographer’s Name: Noelle Talmon

Location of Photo: Clinton, Connecticut

Description: Beach roses during sunset in New England.

5. Three Ridges Sunset

Photographer’s Name: Matthew Grahovac

Location of Photo: On the Appalachian Trail at Hanging Rock Overlook (Three Ridges Wilderness, Virginia)

Description: On a weekend hike of the Three Ridges Wilderness, I caught an incredible sunset while preparing to make camp. The Tye River Valley was bathed in golden light.

Editor’s Picks

Golden Sunrise Reflections

Photographer’s Name: Mark Krancer

Location of Photo: Atlantic Beach, Florida

Description: A golden sunrise comes alive to start the day in Atlantic Beach, FL.

Gold Finch Sunrise

Photographer’s Name: Dale Steenberg

Location of Photo: Hayward, Wisconsin

Description: Each morning, watching the bird feeder was always something new

Golden Thoughts

Photographer’s Name: Julie Smith

Location of Photo: Cologne, Germany

Description: I knew I had to be on the other side of the river to get the shots I wanted so I dragged my nephews with me for an hour to try different places until I found just the right angle I wanted! Treated them to a beer for their trouble.

Lavender Pastures

Photographer’s Name: Karla Johnes

Location of Photo: Piasa, Illinois

Description: Wild lavender overlooking the cow pasture prairie!

Big Sur Sunrise

Photographer’s Name: Patricia Korzec

Location of Photo: New Camadoli Monastery above Big Sur California

Description: Early morning walk from monastery overlooking Big Sur cliffs.

Thanks for celebrating this round of winners! To be the first to know when our next photo contest launches, subscribe to our free newsletter—packed with updates, travel inspiration, and more.

• View all of the Natural Wonders Contest submissions here
• Check out our Wildlife Contest winners here