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Great news for TTA – TRAVEL TALES AWARD and travel author photography, we have the winners of the TTA 2026!

The jury has chosen and we finally decree the winners of the TTA 2025 award with their stories!

Edoardo Agresti –  Cathedrals on wheels – Asia

On the dusty roads of Pakistan, trucks are not mere means of transport: they are mobile cathedrals, manifestos of identity and resistance. Even before leaving, they are born in the courtyards of the workshops, where expert hands – real artists contended between the different ‘laboratories’ – transform anonymous metal sheets into living surfaces. Layers of paint overlap like stories: flowers, birds, saints, eyes that watch. Every detail is engraved, painted, applied with an artisanal patience that defies time and effort.

This transformation comes at a very high price: decorating a truck can cost between $10,000 and $20,000, a huge amount compared to average earnings. It is an investment that becomes pride, identity, a distinctive sign on the roads.

Lello Fargione –  Cockfights in Cuba – North America

In Cuba, cockfighting remains a controversial tradition, suspended between state regulation and widespread lawlessness. Introduced during the Spanish colonial period, this practice continues to be ingrained in popular culture, despite the restrictions provided by law.

The Cuban state punishes unauthorized fighting with penalties of up to three years in prison. However, according to local sources, clandestine meetings are far from rare. On the contrary, in recent years there has been an increase in illegal activities, often tolerated by the authorities.

Ivanka Iantcheva – The Rise terraces  

Yunnan is one of the provinces with the greatest natural, bio- and ethnic diversity in China. I visited the famous Honghe-Hani rice terraces (built on the banks of the Honghе River by the Hani people) in one of the months when they are full of water and especially “photogenic”. These rice terraces have a history of more than 1300 years. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, they are protected. But to what extent are the people living here “protected” from the rapid technological development? What will their tomorrow be like?

Elisabetta Nottola – Sciamma – Africa

Shamma is the traditional shawl made of light white cotton worn by both men and women and is the symbol of the Christian populations of the Ethiopian highlands. Thrown over the shoulders, it protects from the cold and dust, functions as a headdress, and is a sign of elegance and dignity. It covers the faithful during night vigils in churches, but also in daily life, which is heavily regulated by religion, 60% of which is Orthodox Christian.

Enzo Rocca –  Dirty Silver – South America

The finest silver from the Indies came from the mines of Potosí, in southern Bolivia, at an altitude of 4,050 meters. In the shadow of Cerro Rico – the legendary “Rich Mountain”, carved out by thousands of tunnels – one of the highest and most symbolic cities in the Andean world was born. According to tradition, the name Potosí derives from the Quechua potojchi, “deafening noise”, evocation of the mountain broken by human work. Excavated to the point of fragility, Cerro Rico is in danger of collapsing. From a symbol of imperial prosperity, it has become a geological and moral wound.

Radoslav Sviretsov –  Between Fire and Ice– Europe

Iceland has become the primary landscape through which Radoslav explores his photographic vision. Over multiple years and repeated travels, the country has evolved from a subject of observation to a long-term artistic investigation into the transformation, time, and forces that shape our environment. His work is based on the encounter between opposing elements: fire and ice, creation and erosion, permanence and change. Iceland’s unique geology offers a rare opportunity to witness processes that would normally be invisible within a human lifetime. Volcanic eruptions, retreating glaciers, changing coastlines, and extreme weather reveal a landscape that is constantly being rewritten.

The 6 Winners will be on display with their respective projects in Rome, at Otto Gallery, from February 5, 2027. The opening of the exhibition will coincide with the opening of the weekend dedicated to travel photography, with the great convention of Viaggio Fotografico, Saturday and Sunday 6 and 7 February, at Officine Fotografiche Roma!

 The overall winner of TTA 2025 was decreed Radoslav Sviretsov, an award-winning Bulgarian landscape photographer and architect, known for his extraordinary aerial and nature images, who wins the overall podium with his story  Between Fire and Ice.

Radoslav Sviretsov wins a solo exhibition in March at the 2027 edition of the European Photographic Festival, organized by the Italian Photographic Archive,

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