Congratulations to Garry Pullar for his winning image of Varanasi, in The Big Picture, a competition for amateur photographers. Pullar and a friend will travel to the Maldives for five nights, with return flights courtesy of Singapore Airlines and Singapore Airlines Holidays and the Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa.

Thank you to all of the readers who entered, and our sponsors, Singapore Airlines, Singapore Airlines Holidays and the Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa. A trip to Japan is up for grabs in our next competition. See below for more. - Jane Reddy, deputy national editor, travel

THE WINNER

DATELINE: India

Varanasi pulses with life, but it is also the place where Hindus prefer to die. Where the city meets the sacred Ganges river is a line of ghats (steps), along which you can walk. Most of the ghats provide access to the river for bathing and for puja ceremonies, while a few are used exclusively for cremations. Holy men line the ghats and give blessings, and life's daily body and spiritual cleansing rituals are practised all day and night. You can hire a boat and guide and take a boat ride on the Ganges and watch the wonder of Varanasi unfold, silently, before your eyes.

Photo: Gary Pullar

JUDGES' COMMENTS A picture that captures the mystery and romance of India, a world that doesn't look to have changed over the centuries, is shown here in the face of the oarsman, the architecture and the river. It has perfect composition, soft, beautiful light and colour, with the bird being the icing on the cake. - Leigh Henningham

This photo does not particularly depict a novel scene. Its narrative is not so much about the Ganges but about the man rowing the boat. Intentional or not, the composition is effective; the rich colours of the buildings on the banks of the Ganges - a biblical scene in itself - do not detract from the bird in flight hovering, drawing your eyes to the the man rowing the boat and to his facial expression. - Mags King

This image tells a story as a good photo should, a perfectly composed image with no shortage of muted colour and chaos, placing it firmly in Varanasi. Isolated in the foreground, the main point of focus is the subject's expressive face, and his gaze rests on the opposite side of the river to that we cannot see, and one can only assume it is the cause of the man's dark expression. - Kylie McLaughlin

DATELINE: Zambia

We knew Victoria Falls would be grand. But when we saw it in reality, it took our breaths away. The rainbow spanned across from Zambia to Zimbabwe, arching over the roaring rising spray. It truly lived up to its indigenous name, Mosi-oa-Tunya: The Smoke that Thunders.

Photo: Desmond Chu

JUDGE'S COMMENT Travel photos should relay the promise of a journey and I think the photographer has captured a fantastical moment, almost paradisical. The composition works well to include other elements of the landscape, such as the bridge in the distance, a sense of horizon, but the rainbow and the cloud that seem to be connected to the spray draw your eyes to the falls. The photographer manages to paint a scene that is gentle and dream-like, not the obvious approach in portraying the powerful Victoria Falls. - Mags King

DATELINE: India

I set out early one morning hoping for a peaceful sunrise beach shot at Mamallapuram but instead found hundreds of visiting pilgrims, joyfully splashing in the ocean. I love the mix of confidence and happiness on this girl's face.

Photo: Anna Johnston

JUDGE'S COMMENT This frame appealed to most of the judges. For me it is an uplifting and perhaps inspiring frame of a pretty girl on a beach. - Mags King

DATELINE: Japan

We were looking for lunch in a shopping centre in Hiroshima along a series of lunch bars serving okonomiyaki (Japanese pancakes), a speciality of the Hiroshima area, when we came upon this group of businessmen. It seemed to confirm the stereotype of the uniformity of Japanese people, especially businessmen, all dressing the same and doing the same thing at the same time. The reality is there is tremendous variety of all kinds all across the country such that the conformity of this group seemed to stand out as unusual.

Photo: Andrew Quinn

JUDGE'S COMMENT A photo doesn't have to have bells and whistles to make an impact. The composition is simple but effective. The banner hides the faces of the anonymous line of "grey suits" having lunch - which to me speaks to an element of the Japanese culture of work and order that is perhaps universally known. It is the lack of fuss or noise that makes this image for me. It also shows me that the photographer has an eye for the simple observations that we often make in our travels. - Mags King

DATELINE: Australia

As part of a wider trip around Australia, my wife and I packed our tent, drinking water and non-perishable foods and camped on North West Island, a deserted sand cay on the Great Barrier Reef. This extraordinary and unexpected experience, gliding silently above a community of sun-baking stingrays in the lagoon, is without doubt one of our most treasured memories.

Photo: Pascal Geraghty

JUDGE'S COMMENT This entry thinks outside the box for travel photography. The majority of travel photographs are of landscape orientation and it's a nice change to see a vertical option. - Louisa Kirby

DATELINE: Namibia

At m'Bari waterhole in Etosha National Park, zebras, oryx and wildebeest congregated by the hundred. It was happy hour and the noise was cacophonous. Then the hoof beats and the splashes were replaced with stillness.

Two lions approached and within a split second the cacophony resumed as hundreds of hooves stampeded from the water and expertly each species formed its own group, ready to defend or retreat.

Photo: Rebecca Dannock

JUDGE'S COMMENT A fabulous image from a zoology PhD candidate, this entry makes me feel the rumble under my feet and dust in my eyes. - Louisa Kirby

Win a trip to Japan

Traveller's fourth The Big Picture competition for amateur photographers in association with Fairfax Media's Clique Photographers Association kicks off next month.

Clique, a photography club run by the photo departments of the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, aims to inspire people of all skill levels to take better photos.

The overall winner and a partner or friend will travel to Japan, courtesy of Singapore Airlines (economy class), staying three nights at the Conrad Tokyo, (in the bottom middle photo), and two nights at the Hyatt Regency Kyoto (bottom right), with all breakfasts and a seven-day JR Rail Pass (ordinary class), courtesy of Singapore Airlines Holidays.

Full details will be available next week.

To join Clique, see smh.com.au/clique or theage.com.au/clique.