“Venice Reflections”. Photo location: Venice. (Photo and caption by Halszka Tutaj-Gasinska/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“The Wave”. When I went to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco to see the sunrise, many surfers were enjoying the surfing. Photo location: San Francisco, California, USA. (Photo and caption by Hideki Mizuta/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Inside Barcelona”. I was inside the Temple of Sagrada Familia – one of the approximately 3 million visitors to the church each year. Several “trees” made me follow their trunks upward with my eyes. At the top I saw this kaleidoscope of colors that somehow grounded me. I took the same shot that I suspect many others have also taken. And yet, for each of us, because of the experience of just being there, our personal photo is truly personal. Photo location: Barcelona, Spain. (Photo and caption by Patrick Flaherty/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Tantalisingly Tropical”. Shadowed by a shoal of small-spotted darts, black-tip reef sharks patrol the crystal-clear shallows of a small tropical island. While on holiday in the Seychelles I noticed a number of black-tip reef sharks hunting the sand-bottomed shallows of this small island at high tide. After waiting for a clear day, I waded out with my underwater housing and clambered onto a rock just off the beach, where I waited for the tide to come in and managed to snap this serene scene. Photo location: Seychelles Islands. (Photo and caption by Byron Dilkes/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Sunrise at Mesa Arch”. This picture was taken on a road trip in May, 2013. My wife and I reached the Mesa Arch before sunrise. There were at least a dozen other people there. I crouched on the ground and waited for the sunbeams cut through the mountains to the left before taking this shot. It was a breathtaking scenery. Photo location: Mesa Arch, Canyonlands National Park. (Photo and caption by Ning Shi/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Trestle Traveler”. Image captured on the train trestle across the Yamuna river in Mathura. Photo location: Mathura, India. (Photo and caption by Greg Davis/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Mad Max”. Anti-government protesters observe the activity of riot police from the top of barricades in Hrushveskoho Street. Photo location: Kiev, Ukraine. (Photo and caption by Giorgio Bianchi/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Natural Vs. Modern”. What's more beautiful? One of mans hard thought out pieces of architectural art or a naturally grown tree. Put them together and there's no winner. Photo location: The Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California . (Photo and caption by Edward Thornton/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Sunset at Victoria Falls”. As I walked along the trail thinking how perfect it was to have the sun behind me for my pictures of Victoria Falls, you can imagine my surprise when I turned around to exit the park before darkness arrived. The sun illuminated the falls from behind highlighting the blackness of the canyon where the falls were spilling into. Photo location: Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Africa. (Photo and caption by Thomas Burke/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Butterflies in the night sky”. Whilst visiting Sydney VIVID festival 2014, I managed to score myself a front row spot at the edge of Sydney Harbor. With a lot of patience and a lot of exposure time, the wait was well worth it in the end when I captured this moment at just the right time. Photo location: Sydney, Australia. (Photo and caption by Rachel Kutzner/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Wooing Owls”. Swooping in for a mating session. Photo location: Qatar. (Photo and caption by Mohsen Jaafer/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“The gate keeper”. It was a bit nerve wracking getting to the top of the church, but so worth it. The book being held is extremely old, and the images were stunning. Photo location: Abuna Yemata Guh church, Ethiopia. (Photo and caption by Kristen Eder/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Sewing”. This photo was taken in the village of Oceana city of Jodhpur Rajasthan region. Photo location: Central India. (Photo and caption by Osama Alsulami/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Saint Mary's Lake”. Photo location: Glacier National Park in Montana. (Photo and caption by Steven J. Miller/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“We still play”. This photo is take in Baracoa, Cuba. Even though is an outdoor scene I believe it gives a sense of Cuba. I only realised fully how amazing Cuba is when I left for Mexico. In Cuba, children still play in the street, it doesn't matter how but they do, even if the don't have a baseball bat! It's a fear free society even though it's changing. People have their doors open, children play outside anytime with anyone and people still trust. It's a beautiful thing going on that reminded me my childhood years in Greece. But it is changing. Unfortunately. In my opinion not for better. Photo location: Baracoa, Cuba. (Photo and caption by Stylianos Papardelas/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Drying saris near the Ganges river”. A group of women dry their saris in the sun after they have been washed in the Ganges river. Photo location: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. (Photo and caption by Nacho Calonge/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Los ultimos gorilas de llanura”. El gorila de llanura habita en lo más profundo de la selva tropical africana. Un gigante en peligro de extinción, debido al comercio ilegal de su carne. Photo location: Gabon. (Photo and caption by José Mingorance/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Lonely tree”. It's a lonely tree's beautiful world. Photo location: Iide, Yamagata Pref., Japan. (Photo and caption by Teruo Araya/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“The Flying Ball”. Children of the streets. Photo location: Barakoa, Cuba. (Photo and caption by Dana Caspi/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Rainy Night in the Piazza del Campo”. It was a long day of travel and I arrived in Siena tired, hungry and a bit lonely after a few weeks of traveling alone. The rain was steady and did little to help my mood. Still, I wandered the streets until I found myself at the edge of the Piazza del Campo and was immediately drawn to the neon glow cast by the cafes along its periphery, reflecting off the wet bricks and providing an amazing backdrop for the silhouettes of umbrella'd figures making their way home on this rainy night. Photo location: Siena, Tuscany, Italy. (Photo and caption by Karen Messerman/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Ancient Wisdom”. Majestically poised for this moment in time. Photo location: Ghost City, Fengdu, China. (Photo and caption by Elaine Walsh/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Ladies in waiting”. While exploring Burough Market in London, I was delighted to come across four lovely young women dressed in vintage white dresses, eating ice cream as the local shopkeeper looked on. Are they brides? Or bridesmaids. I don't know, but they are obviously enjoying a very special day. Photo location: Burough Market, London, England. (Photo and caption by Susie Stern/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Among the multitudes”. I took this picture while I visited muslim schools in pemba island North Tanzania. I was behind the students and unexpectedly one of them looked at me and she was in golden point. Photo location: Pemba, Tanzania. (Photo and caption by Salim Al-Busaidi/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Orca whale”. This was taken on a road trip from Calgary to Vancouver Island and despite of the amazing things we saw along the way this was the highlight of the trip. In our whale watching tour was a professional photographer who said in 20 years of photographing whales she had never seen such an impressive breach by an Orca whale, a spontaneous moment. Photo location: Victoria, BC, Canada. (Photo and caption by Mike Cooke/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Cold morning”. Previously, the red-crowned crane there was a crisis of extinction. In the cold season, the birds will outperform the cold river in a warm than outside air. Photo location: Tsurui，Hokkaido，Japan. (Photo and caption by Mitsuhiko Kamada/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Masai ”. Photo location: Kenya. (Photo and caption by Abdulaziz Alasousi/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Fushimi Inari”. Young women wearing traditional attire stroll through the torii gates of the Shinto shrine, Fushimi Inari. Photo location: Kyoto, Japan. (Photo and caption by Levi Drevlow/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“The Challenge!” Young boy relishes in a game of tug of war before school. Photo location: Lake Titicaca, Peru. (Photo and caption by Paul Heyman/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Into Everything”. This picture was taken during a weeks stay in the Dolomites. You see the beautiful Val Fiscalina covered in fresh snow. Photo location: Val Fiscalina, Dolomites. (Photo and caption by Petra Schmitz/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Nubble in a Puddle”. While in Maine I made a point of visiting several lighthouses. This is Nubble Light – Cape Neddick Lighthouse shot from Sohier Park. The sun was going down behind me so I was about to lose the light. There were several puddles down on the rocks left behind from from high tide so I jumped down, put the camera on the ground and took a shot. Photo location: Cape Neddick Lighthouse, Sohier Park, Maine. (Photo and caption by Christopher V. Sherman/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Cheroot”. While walking through a five day market upriver from Inle Lake, Myanmar, I saw this Pa O tribal woman taking a thoughtful break with the ubiquitous hand rolled cheroot. Photo location: Inn Dein (Innthein), Shan State, Myanmar. (Photo and caption by Zoe Kritzler/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“La Cabalgata”. Los caballos son uno de los símbolos principales del Carnaval de Totoras ellos llevan en su lomo a los “montados” quienes visitan la casa de cada uno de los caporales para juntos venerar al niño Caporal una fiesta tradicional del centro andino del Ecuador. Photo location: La Parroquia de Totoras, Provincia de Tungurahua, centro andino de Ecuador. (Photo and caption by Micaela Ayala/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Solo Surfer”. Gentoo Penguin surfing an iceberg in Cierva Cove, Antarctic Peninsula. Cierva Cove lies on the south side of Cape Herschel, within Hughes Bay. It is named after Juan de la Cierva, the inventor of the autogiro (the precursor to the helicopter, first flown in 1923). This site is known for its collection of stunning icebergs and abundance of leopard seals. It is also home to Primavera, an Argentinian summer research station. Photo location: Cierva Cove, Antarctic Peninsula. (Photo and caption by Mark Connell/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Morning Defenestration”. Not what you'd expect to go to see while traveling to San Francisco. But when you've been to the bay area as many times as I have. It's time to go off the beaten path. This is a work of art by Brian Goggin on an actual building in San Francisco. Photo location: San Francisco, CA. (Photo and caption by Christopher V. Sherman/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Kurdish Boy”. First rays of the sun... Kurdish boy, who travelled from the East, starting his long day work in Turkish farms. Photo location: Western Turkey. (Photo and caption by Omur Ozkoyuncu Black/National Geographic Photo Contest)