National Geographic has kicked off its 2016 “Travel Photographer of the Year” contest. The winner receives a seven-day Polar Bear Photo Safari for two at Churchill Wild–Seal River Heritage Lodge, a National Geographic “Unique Lodge of the World.” The contest ends on May 27, so click here to enter or learn more. Below are some of the this year’s entries.
New York, Rio, Tokyo? We are on a rooftop bar in Ho-Chi-Minh, Vietnam. The day leaves, the night comes. But this coming city never sleeps. (Yvonne Baur / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest) Stunning peaks & thousands of King Penguins on South Georgia in soft early sunrise. The photography challenge was to resist shooting only Penguin close-ups (very tempting for sure) & step back occasionally to be equally amazed by the landscape in which they live. Special Bonus: It was 100 years to the month that Shackelton’s boat (Endurance) finally went under the Antarctic pack ice (Nov 1915), precipitating his epic traverse of South Georgia, before finding help at nearby Stromness (1916). (Shivesh R. / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest) A weightlifter lifts a barbell loaded with heavy plates while a bodybuilder performs an aerial handstand at the Muscle Beach Gym in Venice Beach, CA. (Shivesh R. / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest) Shot in Sakrebailu Elephant Camp, Shimoga, India. This camp works towards rehabilitating rescued elephants from circuses and human animal conflict zones. The elephants are trained here by experienced Mahouts and forms a lasting bond between the two. Every morning these Mahouts get their elephants for a bath in the nearby river. This is also when people are allowed to interact with the elephants. (Aditya D. / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest) While walking through the Jonas Winter Storm that swept across the East Coast last week, I captured this shot of the Flatiron Building against a backdrop of swirling snow. With the exception of a few minor details like logos and a food cart, the image looks like an impressionist right out of another another century. The cloudy atmosphere and gusty winds creates patterns that appear uncannily like brush strokes. (Michele Palazzo / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest) “Romance is in the air. It was the time of day immediately following sunset. I heard a voice. ‘Wherever you go, I will follow you’ the voice says.” Photographed in Biei, Hokkaido, Japan. (Hiroki Inoue / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest) Devotees carrying the palki, sedan chair, of Shiva. The Shiva’s Temple, known as Khandoba locally, is a very famous temple situated in the town of Jejuri, in Maharashtra, India. Every year on the day of Somvati Amavasya – a no moon day – thousands of devotees arrives at the temple. The festival’s main ritual is offering of turmeric powder by the devotees. Such large quantities of turmeric powder are used that all the devotees and the temple ground are covered in yellow color of the turmeric. (Aashit Desai / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest) “When a Japanese larch’s twig was exposed to illumination, looked like hands and feet. It was like the ballet dancer.” Photographed in Biei, Hokkaido, Japan. (Hiroshi Tanita / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest) “In the Gorges du Dades there are some breathtaking bends between walls of rock.” Photographed in Boumalne, Souss-Massa-Draa, Morocco. (Angiolo Manetti / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest) Impala silhouetted as the sun rises in the Masai Mara, Kenya. (Kellie Netherwood / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest) This is a general view of Eid ul Fitr Prayer at Alamgir Mosque in Varanasi, Uttarpradesh, India. Eid prayers, also known as Salat al-Eid and Salat al-Eidain , is the special prayer offered to commemorate two Islamic festivals.This image depicts the Hindu–Muslim brotherhood exploring the dynamics of communal relations in Varanasi-a holy city of the Hindus. (Sirsendu Gayen / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest)This article was featured in the InsideHook newsletter. Sign up now.
