“The world's largest highly acidic lake”. On the west of Mount Merapi, is the 1km wide turquoise colored acid crater lake called Kawah Ijen. It is the world's largest highly acidic lake (pH<0.5) and it lies inside a larger caldera of the Ijen Volcanoes. To capture this photo, I had to start climbing a steep 3km track before sunrise. Upon arrival, I waited until the sun was just behind Mount Merapi, allowing me to expose the lake's turquoise color in shadow while the rest of the environment was well lit. Luckily, the wind had also swept across just in time, clearing to rising smoke to expose the wondrous landscape in-front of me. Photo location: Kawah Ijen, Mount Merapi, East Java, Indonesia. (Photo and caption by Khandakar Usayed/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Highlander Face”. Beautiful head dress and face paint of the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. Photo location: Papua New Guinea. (Photo and caption by Wylda Bayron/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Castle and Camels”. This is one shot which was captured in the morning in Kumtag Desert. Kumtag Desert is the 6th largest desert in China. It became National Park in 2002. Photo location: Shanshan, Xinjiang, China. (Photo and caption by Mei Xu/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Going About His Business”. Overlooking the beautiful vista of San Cristóbal in the Galapagos Islands, a male carpenter bee drinks nectar from one of the native Scalesia flowers. (It was also a windy day; I was afraid he was going to bump into my camera). Photo location: San Cristóbal, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. (Photo and caption by Andrew Schnorr/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Traffic Jam”. A bridge In Cairo, sunset time. Photo location: Cairo, Egypt. (Photo and caption by Zouheir Al-Najjar/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Bubble”. Shot on the streets of Harlem. Photo location: New York City. (Photo and caption by Amy Sacka/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Heliskiers on Conrad Icefield, Bugaboos”. Heliskiers make fresh tracks on a powder run in the Bugaboos. Photo location: Heli-skiing Bugaboos, Purcell Mountains, Canada. (Photo and caption by Brad White/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Peace. No need for the storm”. A lone fisherman and the sea, in a foggy morning right after the sunrise. Photo location: Shimanami Kaidō, Shikoku, Japan. (Photo and caption by Bernardi Nicola/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Losar Girl”. During a trip to northern india I joined a losar celebration, the tibetan new year. This is a portrait of a tibetan girl in a traditional dress. Photo location: McLeod Ganj, India. (Photo and caption by Matthias Troeger/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“The Emperã”. The Embera-Wounaan is a semi-nomadic indigenous people in Panama, living in the province of Darien at the shores of the Chucunaque, Sambu, Tuira Rivers and its water ways. Photo location: Darien Jungle, Panama. (Photo and caption by Bruno Cazarini/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“I want to be a model”. It was in Rajasthan, in Bundi. I was exploring the small streets and I tried to find some nice spot for some street shoot, and exactly then I saw this goat and the children, who tried to run to me to be on the picture, but the goat did a better job! Photo location: Bundi, Rajasthan, India. (Photo and caption by Stefan Meyer/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Pachamama”. Photo taken in the Valle de la Luna, Atacama Desert during a Pachamama ritual. Pachamama is known to the people of the Andean region as a “good mother”. Therefore, people usually toast to her honor before every meeting or festivity, in some regions by spilling a small amount of chicha on the floor, before drinking the rest. Photo location: Valley of the Moon, Atacama Desert, Chile. (Photo and caption by Bruno Cazarini/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“The Cuban Boy”. A young boy looks out over the crumbling city of Havana. Photo location: Cuba. (Photo and caption by Simon Morris/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Slow”. A calm cow in the messy streets of Jodhpur. Photo location: India. (Photo and caption by Matthias Troeger/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“A lizard”. A Big lizard. Photo location: Kuwait. (Photo and caption by Khaleel Haidar/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Visiting”. Sheikh Zayed Grand mosque is one attractive place to be visited in Abu Dhabi. Photo location: Abu Dhabi. (Photo and caption by Amri Arfianto/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Melting Pot”. During our adventure through India, we noticed a dramatic cloud of smoke filling the sky from a distance. We stopped to investigate and met a man named Dhruv who responded well to our curiosity and shared with us the filtration process for creating brown sugar. Photo location: Punjab, India. (Photo and caption by Gurminder Banga/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“End of the World”. This photo, taken at the “end of the world” swing in Banos, Ecuador, captures a man on the swing overlooking an erupting Mt. Tungurahua. The eruption took place on February 1st, 2014. Minutes after the photo was taken, we had to evacuate the area because of an incoming ash cloud. Photo location: Banos, Ecuador. (Photo and caption by Sean Hacker Teper/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Girl with a pencil box”. During the trip in Bhutan we could take pictures for an hour in Pobjikhathal in school based there. Besides, many beautiful shots are entsptanden. Photo location: Bhutan. (Photo and caption by Alice de Velez/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Look in my eyes......” Clownfish or anemonefish are fishes from the subfamily Amphiprioninae in the family Pomacentridae. Thirty species are recognized, one in the genus Premnas, while the remaining are in the genus Amphiprion. In the wild, they all form symbiotic mutualisms with sea anemones. Depending on species, Clownfish are overall yellow, orange, or a reddish or blackish color, and many show white bars or patches. The largest can reach a length of 18 centimetres (7.1 in), while the smallest barely can reach 10 centimetres (3.9 in). Photo location: Philippines, Cabilao island. (Photo and caption by Peter Bublitz/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Misty Yosemite Valley”. Late spring snow fall burning off in Yosemite Valley. Photo location: Yosemite National Park, California. (Photo and caption by Laura Hoffner/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Calla Lily Valley”. Unmarked valley in Big Sur with thousands of calla lilies emptying into the sea. Photo location: Big Sur, California. (Photo and caption by Laura Hoffner/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Precious lives”. White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum). Photo location: Kruger National Park, South Africa. (Photo and caption by Jaime Kruusmaa/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“First Time”. Mea Shearim, ultra orthodox district of Jerusalem. Newly married, Aaron and Rivkeh after the wedding ceremony are to stay together for the very first time, alone. Their marriage was arranged by families. 18 years old candidates confirmed the choice in result of the one meeting only. Since then until the wedding day they were prohibited to meet or even talk. Photo location: Mea Shearim. Jerusalem, Israel. (Photo and caption by Agnieszka Traczewska/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Drawing the moment”. The shopwindow designer was drawing the scene of what she sees through the glass. She was so consantrated on her drawang without annoyed from the crowded street. Actualy the people walking infront of her was not aware of what she is doing. Photo location: London, England. (Photo and caption by Erkan Sahmali/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Fog”. December 22, 2012 – A porter relaxes after arriving at Shira Camp at the end of a day of climbing one section of Mount Kilimanjaro. Photo location: Shira Camp, Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. (Photo and caption by Andrew Prince/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Human Laundry”. Laundry Man wash their client cloths at the share pond in Varanasi. Photo location: India. (Photo and caption by Jeffry Lim/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Through the Trees”. A large African Elephant bull emerges from the floodplain forest of the Lower Zambezi Valley, dwarfed by the immense trees in this area. I was walking in the forest, following this bull and his cohorts as they fed from the winterthorn trees in spectacular light. This is one of the last true wilderness areas left in Southern Africa, and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Walking around among the elephants, lions, wild dogs, leopards and buffalo that call this place home is an immense travel experience. Photo location: Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe. (Photo and caption by Morkel Erasmus/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“Kids in Holiday”. In south of Ethiopia i find Karo Tribe in Omo Valley... alots of children playing together!! Making foots together someone set in the center!! Photo location: Karo Tribe, Omo Valley, Ethiopia. (Photo and caption by Hesham Alhumaid/National Geographic Photo Contest)

“First Light over the Lake”. In July in Alberta, Canada overlooking beautiful Lake Moraine. First light is around 6:15AM and the sun catching the top of the mountains surrounding the lake is magnificent. Shot with a Nikon D800E on a tripod with a 14mm lens. To capture this image, you need to climb to the top of the rock pile before sunrise. Photo location: Lake Moraine, Alberta, Canada. (Photo and caption by Jeffrey Landman/National Geographic Photo Contest)