14th annual Smithsonian. com photo contest Smithsonian. com, a publication of the Smithsonian Institution, has announced the finalists of its 14th annual photo contest. Over 48,000 photos were submitted by photographers representing 146 countries and territories, with ten finalists selected in each of the following categories: The Natural World, Travel, Sustainable Travel, People, Mobile, The American Experience, and Altered Images.
Voting is currently open for the Readers’ Choice award, which will be announced alongside the Grand Prize and category winners on March 28. Click through the slides above to see a few of our favorite images, and head over to Smithsonian. com to see all the finalists and vote for the Readers’ Choice winner.
Surreal: A man bikes by an octopus statue at the Burning Man festival in Black Rock City, Nevada.
Alina Rudya, Berlin, Germany
Category: Mobile
14th annual Smithsonian. com photo contest
Take Me Away Deer! Since ancient times, the Nenets have led a nomadic life. Reindeer harnessed to sleds is the most reliable form of transport on the tundra, and the people of the North make use of their navigational abilities. In severe conditions, such as a blinding snow storm, deer are not only loyal companions, but sometimes the only hope for survival.
Tamil Nureev, Noviy Urengoy, Russia
Category: Travel
14th annual Smithsonian. com photo contest
The Longing of an Opera Artist: Mdm Tai, a Chinese opera artist for the past forty odd years, thinks of her children while preparing for her performance. She, like most of the opera artists, is away for months traveling to one place to another, far away from her home. The Chinese opera is a custom that is slowly being diminished, taken over by modern performances. It is worth seeing and it is with hope that, through images, the custom will be sustained for future generations.
Nick Ng, Kuala Lampur, Malaysia
Category: People
14th annual Smithsonian. com photo contest
Swamp Raccoon: While I was looking for alligators at a swamp in Louisiana, this beautiful little creature wandered out of the murky waters right into the morning light.
Kim Aikawa, Santa Rosa, California
Category: Natural World
14th annual Smithsonian. com photo contest
Prom Night
Trinja Henrickson, Ludington, Michigan
Category: The American Experience
14th annual Smithsonian. com photo contest
Turtle-Back Ride: The thing that draws me to the ocean the most is that I never know what I’m going to come across on any given day. I count myself extremely fortunate to have been in the right place at the right time to capture this image.
Michael B. Hardie, Hawaii
Category: Natural World
14th annual Smithsonian. com photo contest
Firewalking: Firewalking is the act of walking barefoot over burning charcoal. In Ha Giang, a mountain province in northern Vietnam bordered by China, the Pa Then ethnic group observes this practice to wish for prosperity in the new year.
Binh Duong, Hanoi, Vietnam
Category: Travel
14th annual Smithsonian. com photo contest
Break Time: Break time during a street theater festival known as FITECA. Periphery of Lima, Peru.
Sharon Castellanos, Cusco, Peru
Category: People
14th annual Smithsonian. com photo contest
Last Dance: A couple dances in the backyard of a home in the West Village neighborhood of Detroit.
Amy Sacka, Detroit, Michigan
Category: The American Experience
14th annual Smithsonian. com photo contest
The Bear Odd Couple: My wife and I were visiting Cabh Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau.
Alfonso Dominguez, Laguna De Duero, Spain
Category: Altered Image
14th annual Smithsonian. com photo contest
Brown-Eyed Beauty: Sustainable travel is travel that does not have a negative impact on the environment and ideally would not only protect the environment, but also provide opportunities for local communities. I see visiting the mountain gorillas in Uganda as sustainable travel because the visits support the local community while protecting the endangered gorillas. Tourists can pay to visit families of these magnificent animals for one hour a day, up to eight trekkers at a time. Over time, the gorillas have habituated to people and are tolerant of their visitors. The rangers dedicate their lives to protecting the gorillas, and you can clearly see that they love their job. Porters are hired from the local community to help the trekkers through the jungle. The porters are rotated on a regular basis so that more people in the community can work. This way, the local community receives a benefit and poaching of the gorillas is less likely. This photo was taken during our one-hour visit with the Mubare Gorilla Family Group in Bwindi Impenetrable National Forest, Uganda. After about one and a half hours of trekking through the forest, we were fortunate to be able to watch these magnificent animals up close. This photo is of a female gorilla enjoying a midday meal. There are less than 1,000 mountain gorillas left on Earth.
Lynda Hanwella, San Francisco, California
Category: Sustainable Travel
14th annual Smithsonian. com photo contest
Noon: Shot in Poly Plaza, Beijing, China
Jian Wang, Beijing, China
Category: Mobile
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