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
#81 People's Choice: Porcelain Crab, Marek Koszorek
This little fellow was feding on drifting plankton and was oblivious to anything happening around, including me taking his pictures.
24points
#82 Second Place Winner, Underwater: In Your Face, Shane Gross
Typically a shy species, a Caribbean reef shark investigates a remote-triggered camera in Cuba’s Gardens of the Queen marine protected area.
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23points
#83 People's Choice: Whale Shark And Anchovies, Steve De Neef
A whale shark and school of anchovies swim by at Mafia Island, Tanzania. The shark and schooling fish are often seen together as they both are after the same planktonic prey, sergestid shrimp. The population of whale sharks here is quite unique as they remain here year round, scientist believe this is because there's an abundance of food around the island. Nowhere else in the worlds do whale sharks do this.
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23points
#84 People's Choice: From Above, Jassen Todorov
Waste from a paper mill is agitated by aerators, producing steam and foam, which are pushed by the wind. Clearwater Paper Reservoire, Lewiston, Idaho. Aerial Image (photographed from a plane at 1,500 feet).
21points
For those inspired by the remarkable moments captured in nature photography, exploring the collection of finalists from National Geographic's recent competition offers deeper insight into exceptional wildlife and landscape imagery.
You can find more breathtaking examples that complement this article by checking out these standout nature photography finalists.