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The Center of the Cosmos is an ultra-wide panorama of one of the world’s most photographed places: Times Square in New York. Photographer Xuecheng Liu captured the iconic intersection from an unusual aerial perspective, with illuminated streets and buildings radiating outwards in a galaxy-like pattern.
His image won the Open Built Environment / Architecture category at the world’s largest competition dedicated to panoramic photography – Epson International Pano Awards.
Lui is known for his unique attempt to make the familiar look unfamiliar. His work received international recognition, for example, at the Sony World Photography Awards. He was also awarded the Weibo Landscape Photographer of the Year title. Now Lui adds another prestigious honor to his growing list of awards.
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The award-winning image ‘Center of the Cosmos’
Liu explain, “Times Square is one of the most photographed places in the world, so my challenge was to find a perspective that could make such a familiar place feel unfamiliar again.
“From above, the dense architecture, streets, and illuminated billboards seem to radiate around the square.
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“I stitched together 25 frames to create an ultra-wide aerial panorama, revealing the scale and density of the skyscrapers surrounding Times Square.
“I wanted the panorama to immerse the viewer in the vast expanse of the city, with countless points of light resembling stars surrounding the centre of a galaxy.”
The Epson International Pano Awards
The 17th annual Epson International Pano Awards have revealed its 2026 winners (Image credit: Pano Awards)
Founded in 2019, the Epson International Pano Awards remain the world’s largest competition devoted exclusively to panoramic photography.
The 2026 edition drew thousands of entries across Nature/Landscape, Built Environment, VR/360° and Aerial categories, celebrating both professional and amateur photographers. Explore the 2026 winning gallery by visiting the Pano Awards website.
Browse the best 360 cameras and the best fisheye lenses.
Looking for competitions to enter? Here are 10 global photo contests now open for entries from October 2026 to February 2027.