Each year National Geographic opens its creative doors to highlight talented professional photographers from around the world through the National Geographic Travel photo contest and similar competitions. The travel photography contest challenges contenders to "help us explore and experience our world through your travel photos," - and this year's beautiful pictures rose to the occasion. The entry period for this year's contest closed noon ET on May 3, and every travel photography submission shows breathtaking snapshots of the awe-inspiring world we live in.
Broken down into three categories nature, cities, and people - these images "tell the story of a place, show us the natural world, or share visions of people from around the globe." Scroll down to see the National Geographic editors' favorites thus far and experience the world seen through these unique street photography lenses. You can check their site May 13-17 to vote for the People's Choice winning photos. The final winners will be announced in June.
The grand prize winner will receive $7,500. Their winning image will be featured on the @natgeotravel Instagram account. Individual category prizes include: First place winners will receive $2,500, second place winners will receive $1,500, third place winners will receive $750.
#21 Petra By Candlelight, Enrico Pescantini, Cities
Petra is a 2,000-year-old city, carved in the rocks of Jordan—once a gateway on the Silk Road and now one of the seven wonders of the world. The best experience is to walk the canyon that leads to the pink city in the night—just like ancient traders and merchants. From the dark, the Treasury is seen lit by hundreds of candles. This is as close as you can get to time travel and a truly an unforgettable lifetime experience.
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136points
#22 Sogi-No-Taki Waterfall, (Truphotos) Weizhong Deng, Nature
On this day, temperatures dipped below freezing point. I was initially disappointed to see the entire location covered with a thick mist upon arriving before dawn. Having taken landscapes primarily with an ultra-wide angle lens, I opted for 85mm on this occasion to frame the shot. When the sun rose (out of frame on the right), it lit up the falls beautifully and cleared away some of the mist. Taken with a circular polarizer and camera on tripod.
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130points
#23 Sunrise Behind The Taj Mahal, John O., Cities
The sun rises behind the Taj Mahal in this photo taken from the north side of the Yamuna River. Built in Agra as a tribute of his love for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, the Taj took nearly 20 years to build. The grounds of this building are fittingly peaceful and relaxing, juxtaposed against the hustle and bustle of Indian life.
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125points
#24 La Flèche De Notre Dame, Florent Serfati, Cities
The Arrow of Notre Dame: The flaming Arrow had just fallen onto the structure below, creating an explosion.
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122points
#25 Lava Under Plumes Of Smoke, Michael Perea, Nature
Looking down at the Kilauea eruption from Fissure 8, as it enters the ocean, and the plume of smoke opens up, revealing the newly created island underneath.
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120points
#26 Frozen Land?, Alessandra Meniconzi, People
This winter, the breathtaking Khuvsgul Lake in Mongolia—called by locals, the "dark blue pearl"—has signs of climate change. The frozen surface melts faster than usual and the ice was not very thick. The sounds were scary: thundering, cracking, shaking, but locals keep moving across the ice as their means of transportation.
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111points
#27 Gathering Of Kukeri, Kristyn Taylor, Nature
As the sun set, a group of Bulgarian Kukeri gathered on the hill above their village. This ancient pagan festival is still very active in the villages of Bulgaria, with all members of the community getting involved.
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106points
#28 Dramatic Literature, Thomas Martin Mcshane, Cities
An abandoned theatre finds new life as a bustling bookstore: This an inspirational example of urban development done right. Nestled deep in Buenos Aires' inner city, the bookstore is now a popular place to relax, enjoy a coffee, flick through the pages of books old and new—and is without question—one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world.
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103points
#29 Sherbert Density - The Block Tower, Toby Harriman, Cities
Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, with an overall density of an estimated 6,300 people per square kilometer. I can't say I'd live here, but I love the colors put into Japanese basic designs.
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98points
#30 What Will Happen Next?, Rita Kluge, Nature
On my last day in Antarctica, I was posting my last video update, I heard what I was waiting for and documented what was to come. A leopard seal was feeding on a penguin … I was in a 7mm free-diving suit to be more flexible to change positions quickly. A normal encounter would be 20 minutes or so and I wouldn't be too cold afterwards, but this day was different, as we swam with three different leopard seals—brrrr. I felt safe being so close to the action with my team. Just amazing.
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91points