/ 2026 / Nature / Earth

• Prize
  Honorable Mention
• Photographer
  Hideo Hori, Japan
• Date of Photograph
  2026.3.21

Venturing into the snowy mountains after a spell of rough weather.

I reach an open expanse of snow.
Fierce winds have carved intricate patterns—*shukabura*—into the surface.

It is like a desert of snow.
Beyond, snow-capped peaks glisten beautifully in the fresh snow.

The desolate, desert-like landscape and the silvery peaks ahead evoke a world far removed from reality.