Need A Reminder Of How Gorgeous Earth Is? Peep These Photo Award Winners

Want a reminder of how gorgeous our world is — you know, back before all we were thinking about was COVID-19 and lockdowns and vaccine trials?

Take a look at the winning entries of the 2020 Siena International Photo Awards, an annual contest organized by a group of photographers and enthusiasts from Siena, Italy, that aims to showcase images of beauty, culture and nature across the globe.

Awash in vibrant color, texture and movement, the images feel light and carefree. A child jumps in mid-air. Two women pose for a selfie. Birds scatter across the sky.

Teresa Scarcella, a spokesperson for SIPA, says it was "strange" to look through the photos for this year's awards in the middle of a pandemic. "It's like when you're watching a movie and people are going around without masks and kissing each other — you think, what are they doing?"

The images make her "nostalgic" for pre-pandemic life, she says.

Next year's contest, open until January 2021, will have a category devoted to life under COVID-19.

Here's a selection of photos from the countries of the Global South that we cover in our blog.

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