Wiki Loves Earth shortlists top 10 photos in Pakistan round

Pakistan had the greatest number of participants and the third-largest number of submissions.
Published June 9, 2016

You may remember the international photography competition Wiki Loves Earth from last year, in which a Pakistani photographer's capture of Shangrila Lake won the best international picture in 2015.

Wikimedia Foundation, the California-based non-profit organisation which runs Wikipedia, has organised the global photography competition again this year, and the best pictures from Pakistan to go onto compete at the international stage have been selected.

The competition, aimed at documenting the world’s natural heritage under the free license of Creative Commons, recently concluded in Pakistan after receiving an overwhelming response.

Over 1,200 contestants in Pakistan sent in over 8,000 photographs making it the country with the third-largest number of submissions and the greatest number of participants.

Wiki Loves Earth 2016 has seen more than 7,000 participants from 26 countries, with over 75,000 photographs submitted throughout the month of May.

The best thing about the competition is that all the photos have a free license and can be re-used for any purpose, as long as the user attributes the photographer.

The contest was first run in Ukraine in 2013 and has since spread globally.

It is described as the 'sister competition' to Wiki Loves Monuments, which is recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as the largest photography competition in the world.

Pakistan became a part of the competition for the first time last year and achieved the first position amongst 28 participating nations.

The international winners of Wiki Loves Earth 2016 are yet to be announced, but the top 10 pictures to represent Pakistan as decided by Pakistan’s jury are below:

Duiker Peak, Hunza. — Photo by Mudassir Ahmed
Duiker Peak, Hunza. — Photo by Mudassir Ahmed

Nanga Parbat, Diamer. — Photo by M. Awais
Nanga Parbat, Diamer. — Photo by M. Awais

Phandar Valley, Ghizer. — Photo by Muzaffar H. Bukhari
Phandar Valley, Ghizer. — Photo by Muzaffar H. Bukhari

Katpana Desert at Skardu. — Photo by RgyalChan Karim
Katpana Desert at Skardu. — Photo by RgyalChan Karim

Naran, Kaghan Valley. — Photo by Talha Hanif
Naran, Kaghan Valley. — Photo by Talha Hanif

Chitral National Park. — Photo by Tahsin A Shah
Chitral National Park. — Photo by Tahsin A Shah

Rama Lake, Astore. — Photo by Faiza Lalwani
Rama Lake, Astore. — Photo by Faiza Lalwani

The Karakoram mountain range,  Astore Valley. — Photo by Najeeb Mahmud
The Karakoram mountain range, Astore Valley. — Photo by Najeeb Mahmud

Siri Paye, Shogran, Kaghan Valley. — Photo by Adeel ur Rehman Mughal
Siri Paye, Shogran, Kaghan Valley. — Photo by Adeel ur Rehman Mughal

The Karakoram mountain range, Hunza Valley. — Photo by Irfan Tahir
The Karakoram mountain range, Hunza Valley. — Photo by Irfan Tahir