“Venice under Snow”. I took nine months off from work to travel around the World and as classic and ordinary as it sounds – one day in Venice under snow made it to my top five travel experiences out of all the trips I took during my nine months off – it was magical. Photo location: Venice, Italy. (Photo and caption by Burcu Basar/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Icelandic Surreality ”. Iceland is a dreamy place and this is its famous Blue Lagoon. Photo location: Iceland. (Photo and caption by Burcu Basar/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Leopard and Shrike”. A leopard stares down a red breasted shrike who seems interested in his meal. Photo location: Namibia. (Photo and caption by James Kobacker/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Dream In Ancient Battlefield”. This place seems to be back to the ancient battlefield in the morning, when the fog float on the grassland. Photo location: Wulanbutong, The Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China. (Photo and caption by Van Hanwood/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Thunderstruck”. Summer stom. A super cell formed off the coast of New Zealand, intensified and swept across Christchurch and North Canterbury, February 23, 2014. Photo location: Christchurch, New Zealand. (Photo and caption by David Hardy/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Madeira Rocks”. The mighty Rocks against's the ocean waves during sunset moment. Photo location: Madeira Island, Portugal. (Photo and caption by Noura Aljeri/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Shunbo – The long view of Spring”. Last time I come here, there was my friend enjoying coffee outside of the window. He passed away by the avalanche happened on the same day of great Tsunami in 2011 in Japan. Yet the mountain is still the same. Standing tall in solitude. Photo location: Kelman hut, Mt. Cook region, New Zealand. (Photo and caption by Yuske Hirota/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Shibuya Crossing”. Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo, on a busy saturday night. This seven way intersection is said to be the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world. Photo location: Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. (Photo and caption by Mark Eden/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Christmas Angels”. Girls in white gown were participating the Christmas mass in front of the St Joseph's Cathedral of Hanoi. Photo location: Hanoi, Vietnam. (Photo and caption by Sai Kit Leung/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Winter Light – Svolvaer, Lofoten Islands”. Sitting above the Arctic Circle with a latitude of 68°, the Lofoten islands is a dark place to visit in January. I only experienced a few hours of light each day, with the sun refusing to lift above the horizon. But when it was light, it was magical, with the island bathed in beautiful soft and atmospheric polar light. This was taken at 1.30pm as the light started to disappear from the island's capital. Photo location: Svolvaer, Lofoten Islands. (Photo and caption by Kellie Netherwood/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Cycling in Morrocco”. This picture is taken in the Central Atlas Mountains, Morocco. This area is populated by the idigenous Berber inhabitants. The sign on the wall represents the Berber, Tamazigh-flag. Tamazigh is the local language. The name also stands for: free man, noble man. Photo location: Agoudal, Central Atlas Mountains, Morocco. (Photo and caption by Hielke Gerritse/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Before they were Men”. I captured the coming-of-age circumcision ceremony of the Bugisu tribe of eastern Uganda. The leaders of the community allowed me to document the long journey the circumcision candidates take until the final cut in their sacred most soil. Before the ceremony, the candidates are covered in Posh, a corn-based powder that is one of the staples of their diet. For 3 days the candidates run through the community as they hold festivities, dancing, drinking and eating from day until night to keep the candidates awake so they can prove their worth for passing into manhood. Photo location: Bubiita Village, Bududa District, Uganda. (Photo and caption by Douglas DaSilva/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Frozen lake”. Lake had frozen the morning waning moon is visible. Photo location: Lake Towada Aomori, Japan. (Photo and caption by Sho Shibata/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Shyness”.When I saw this girl, I really wanted to photograph her ​​beauty, but she was very shy and took a long time to convince her to let me take one single picture. Then, when she saw the picture was very happy and couldn't stop to laugh. Her mother told me that she had never done a photo in her life. Traveling is the exchange of experience and emotions trying to leave a memory of you in the heart of the people. Photo location: Isiro, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Photo and caption by Mattia Passarini/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone”. A rainbow forms in the mist of the falls overlooking the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Photo location: Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Wyoming. (Photo and caption by Colin Presnell/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“The Louvre in the night”. Mesmerizing moment to witness the beautiful pyramid along with its reflection. Picture taken at the Louvre museum, Paris. The couple at the center added romantic mood to the picture. Photo location: Paris. (Photo and caption by Arun Nagargoje/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“One eye on you”. Short-eared owl in stretching and relaxing mode in Kuwait natural reserve. Photo location: Mohd Khorshid. (Photo and caption by Mohd Khorshid/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Old tobacco farmer smoking his homemade cigar in Vinales, Cuba”. I visited a tobacco farmer in Vinales, Cuba. He was very kind to show me his field and storage. After that, he sat down and smoked his cigar while thinking about some good old days. Photo location: Vinales, Cuba. (Photo and caption by Klemen Misic/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Strange rock”. There was a very strange rock that is standing in this form to sea before dawn. Photo location: Yoichi Hokkaido, Japan. (Photo and caption by Hiroshi Tanita/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“A friendly country”. Vietnamese boy riding his bike right after school. Photo location: Hanoi. (Photo and caption by Mauricio Corridan/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Angry Bird”. Angry Bird! (Common Grackle). Spontaneous moment. Photo location: Lawrence County, Illinois. (Photo and caption by Ryan Roush/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Morning Swim”. These ladies are past 80 years old and swim together everyday in the morning at Cottesloe beach. Photo location: Cottesloe Beach in Perth, Australia. (Photo and caption by Robert McPherson/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Man in Alley”. A Uighur man poses for a portrait in Turpan, in April 2014. Photo location: Turpan, Xinjiang, China. (Photo and caption by Jake Fromm/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Cormorant Fisherman”. A quasi studio portrait. Photo location: Yangshuo, China. (Photo and caption by Carlos Ribas Monteiro/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Osprey Shake”. I travel all over the United States photographing wildlife. Ospreys are one of my favorite birds to photograph and I could not believe my luck when I had the opportunity to shoot this raptor diving for fish repeatedly on the Ocklawaha river in Florida. I love to try and capture the shake off. This is performed after every dive successful or not. The Osprey stops for a brief moment in mid air and violently shakes off the water that it's feathers has soaked up from the previous dive. If caught with a fast shutter speed and all other conditions are right, it can result on a nice image like this. Photo location: Ocala, Florida, USA. (Photo and caption by Graham McGeorge/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Atatürk's Mausoleum”. A guard at Atatürk's Mausoleum taken on the 75th anniversary of Atatürk's death. Photo location: Ankara, Turkey. (Photo and caption by Philip Myers/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Last Light”. Winter sunset in the Italian Dolomites on a backcountry traverse. The last rays of sunlight hit the Paternkofel mountain on the left. Photo location: Italian Dolomites. (Photo and caption by Karin Eibenberger/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“The Crystal Son”. An initiate is checking his make up that his mother is applying to her sun during Poi Sang Long (festival of the Crystal Sons) in Mae Hong Son, Northern Thailand. This colourful festival is held every April in Northern Thailand. 7 to 14 year old Shan boys get ordained to make merit. Some will stay only for a week, for some it means a life long commitment to the Buddhist monastic life. Photo location: Wat Don Chedi, Mae Hong Son, Thailand. (Photo and caption by Jeroen van Aar/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Chinese tourists”. Two ladies take pictures of themselves with their cellphones in front of the skyline of Lujiazui, Pudong. Photo location: Shanghai, China. (Photo and caption by Jian Gao/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Crystal ball”. In the ball of this street performer, one can see the D.Luis bridge in Oporto, city considered the best European destination 2014. Photo location: Oporto, Portugal . (Photo and caption by Luis Moreira/National Geographic Photo Contest)