National Geographic has just announced the results of its prestigious 2017 Nature Photographer of the Year photo contest (2016 here), and the best photos are the perfect celebration of Mother Earth. 11,000 stunning pictures were submitted from amateur and professional photographers, competing in four nature photography categories: wildlife, landscapes, aerials, and underwater.
The grand-prize winner will receive $7,500 and their winning image will appear in an upcoming issue of National Geographic magazine. Also, one first-place winner will be selected from each of the four categories, all of them earning $2,500. To feed your passion for the living world, Bored Panda has collected some of the amazing photos from the photography contest, presenting them together with its prizewinners. Scroll down to take a closer look at nature and upvote the beautiful photos you liked most.
More info: nationalgeographic.com
#22 Winter In Transylvania #1, Calin Stan
Wintertime in Transylvania! Yes, you're right: it's THAT Transylvania and this is the road that leads you to Sighisoara, the birthplace of Count Dracula!
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116points
#23 People's Choice, Underwater: Drift, Matthew Smith
A Portuguese man-of-war nears the beach on a summer morning; thousands of these jellyfish wash up on Australia’s eastern coast every year.
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114points
#24 Honorable Mention, Wildlife: Macaque Maintenance, Lance Mcmillan
A Japanese macaque indulges in some grooming time on the shores of the famous hot springs.
110points
#25 People's Choice: Showtime, Bence Mate
I have shot Great Cormorants flying off for hundreds of times. However, this was the only moment when I caught the perfect lights and background, when the bird flew in the right direction, close enough to me, making this exciting sight possible. I have never managed to shoot a similar scene however hard I tried. It is a memorable photographic achievement because the image was made with a manual focus, 1.4 intensity Zeiss lens and open blende which make depth of field almost impossible.
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104points
#26 Don't Come Any Closer, Marc Hornig
MARC HORNIG
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#28 Étirement, Joël Fischer
JOËL FISCHER
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#29 The African Buffalo And His Companions, Ge Xiao
One morning, the buffalo came to the river to drink water. Many oxpecker also come together
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96points
#30 People's Choice, Wildlife: Great Gray Owl, Harry Collins
A great gray owl swoops to kill in a New Hampshire field.
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95points
#32 Second Place Winner, Landscapes: Dushanzi Grand Canyon, Yuhan Liao
Sunlight glances off mineral strata of different colors in Dushanzi Grand Canyon, China.
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88points
#33 Honorable Mention, Landscapes: Cold And Misty, Gheorghe Popa
Morning fog blurs the dead trees of Romania’s Lake Cuejdel, a natural reservoir created by landslides.
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88points
#34 People's Choice: Sparkling Spider's Nest, Kousuke Kitajima
84points
#35 Honorable Mention, Underwater: Jennifer Oneil Predators On A Bait Ball, Jennifer Oneil
Preparing to strike, tarpon cut through a ribbon-like school of scad off the coast of Bonaire in the Caribbean Sea.
80points
#36 Life Force, Amy Gulick
AMY GULICK
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#37 Third Place Winner, Underwater: Flying Fish In Motion, Michael O'neill
Buoyed by the Gulf Stream, a flying fish arcs through the night-dark water five miles off Palm Beach, Florida.
72points
#38 Second Place Winner, Aerials: From Above, Takahiro Bessho
Snow-covered metasequoia trees, also called dawn redwoods, interlace over a road in Takashima, Japan.
69points
#39 The Big Friendly Giant, Katia Benini
On cloudy days, the surface of the ocean has a mysterious and eery nature. Penetrating the navy layer, your sparkling momentum disperses, leaving you breathless in the deep blue abyss. from the darkness emerges the living indigenous painting, accompanied by his most loyal entourage.Gently he swims forward providing protection and company. Occasionally revealing the vortex of his mouth, sending his friends into a chaotic frenzy. Bamboozled my friend clears his mask in AMAZEMENT!
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68points
#40 Lost World, Arvind Ramamurthy
Under beams of imagination, creatures that were said to be lost in time, come alive! Amboli is truly a lost world, with new species being discovered every year. It had just stopped raining and this specimen was dripping wet. I Illuminated the background with a beam of torch to get the mild drizzle in my image.
68points