Latvian wedding photographer Inta Lankovska won the title of the best wedding photographer of 2025 in Europe's leading wedding photography competition "Way Up North". The winners of the competition were announced at a ceremony held on May 6 this year in Vienna. Along with the victory in the nomination of the best wedding photographer of the year ("Europe's Best Wedding Photographer"), Lankovska also won an award in the category "Story of the Year". This achievement is a proof not only of individual talent, but also of a developed Latvian wedding photography industry, which is capable of competing at the European level.

Nominees for the "Way up North" title of the best wedding photographer of the year are selected by industry representatives from all over Europe. After confirming their participation in the competition, the nominees present the best performance of the previous year to an international jury, which selects three finalists and determines the winner. The title is awarded to the author whose works are distinguished by the highest professional quality, originality and the ability to convey an authentic emotional message. Inta Lankovska was nominated as one of the finalists of the award already in 2023, but it was the moments captured in 2025 that brought victory.

"I am truly touched and deeply honored by the high evaluation at the European level. This victory is not only my professional achievement - it is a letter of gratitude to all my couples who have allowed me to be present in the most important moments of their lives and capture what is sometimes difficult to describe in words. This recognition gives me a huge charge of energy to continue creating, looking for new forms and capturing stories that will live forever," says Inta Lankovska, the best European wedding photographer of 2025.

Inta Lankovska's works are characterized by playful humanity and honesty, which are revealed both in carefully planned and spontaneously noticed non-standard viewpoints. The photographer masterfully uses the possibilities provided by the flash and works with analog technology in addition to digital photography. She has been working in photography for more than 17 years, obtained a bachelor's degree in photography from the University of West London, graduated from the school of contemporary photography "ISSP" in Riga and leads wedding photography master classes "Promise Workshop". Her works have been evaluated several times both in Latvia and internationally:

• four-time winner of the title "Latvia's best wedding photographer";
• Junebug Weddings competition laureate;
• "Bodaf New Talent" finalist;
• since 2024, chairwoman of the board of the Association of Latvian Wedding Photographers and Videographers.

"Way Up North" is the largest wedding photography conference in Europe, which annually gathers hundreds of wedding photographers, videographers and creative industry professionals from all over the world since 2015. The two-day conference combines educational lectures, master classes, networking opportunities and presentations by internationally recognized industry leaders, becoming an important platform for the growth and creative inspiration of industry professionals.

Since 2017, the "Way Up North Awards" competition has also been organized, which is considered one of the most prestigious awards in the European wedding photography and videography industry. Awards are presented in several categories, including:

• "The best wedding photographer in Europe";
• “Best New Wedding Photographer”;
• “Best Wedding Videographer”.