# Lowland Photo Festival – I Won 1st Place In Category “The World”

URL: https://jvn.photo/lowland-photo-festival-1st-place-world/
Last updated: 2026-09-22

> I am proud to share that yesterday I was awarded first place in the category "The World" (De Wereld) in the Lowland Photo Festival competition with an image I captured on a recent photo workshop in Greenland.

I am proud to share that yesterday **I was awarded first place in the category “The World” (De Wereld) in the Lowland Photo Festival competition** with an image I captured of a polar bear during a recent photo workshop in Greenland. The award ceremony was held yesterday during the [Lowland Photo Festival](https://www.landschapvzw.be/activiteiten/lowland-photo-festival-0) in Belgium, which I attended in person. It is the largest photo festival focused on nature photography in Belgium & The Netherlands. I had a really great time at the festival, met a lot of great people and listened to several inspiring lectures.

In the Lowland Photo Contest the emphasis is on photographs captured in Belgium & the Netherlands. However, there is also **one category which combines all landscape and wildlife photography captured in other parts of the world**. The competition in this particular category is both numerous and tough with lots of other talented photographers participating. It should be no surprise that this category gets the most submissions.

I captured this winning drone photograph during a [photo workshop I hosted](https://jvn.photo/photo-workshops/greenland/) in East Greenland last summer. As to not disturb the polar bear, I used the longest zoom lens on my Mavic 4 Pro, which meant I could keep a steady 100 meters altitude. The polar bear itself was on the hunt for seals, swimming through the slush ice. Every now and then he would pause, float around, and sniff his environment for food. A beautiful moment during an excellent workshop.[image_with_animation image_url=”1186724″ image_size=”full” max_width=”100%” max_width_mobile=”default” animation_type=”entrance” animation=”None” animation_movement_type=”transform_y” hover_animation=”none” alignment=”center” img_link_large=”yes” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” image_loading=”default”][image_with_animation image_url=”1186723″ image_size=”full” max_width=”100%” max_width_mobile=”default” animation_type=”entrance” animation=”None” animation_movement_type=”transform_y” hover_animation=”none” alignment=”center” img_link_large=”yes” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” image_loading=”default”]

*It was really challenging to capture this shot. Because I was using the longest focal length on my drone, I struggled keeping the bear in the frame. I was very grateful when he paused and floated around for a brief moment given me the opportunity to get the shot.*

[image_with_animation image_url=”1186722″ image_size=”full” max_width=”100%” max_width_mobile=”default” animation_type=”entrance” animation=”None” animation_movement_type=”transform_y” hover_animation=”none” alignment=”center” img_link_large=”yes” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” image_loading=”default”]

*Once the winner was announced, I was invited on stage to talk about my winning image.*

[image_with_animation image_url=”1186717″ image_size=”full” max_width=”100%” max_width_mobile=”default” animation_type=”entrance” animation=”None” animation_movement_type=”transform_y” hover_animation=”none” alignment=”center” img_link_large=”yes” border_radius=”none” box_shadow=”none” image_loading=”default”]

*During the festival, all of the finalist images were beautifully presented in an overall exhibition.*