Stunning submissions from the 2017 National Geographic ‘Nature Photographer of the Year’ award have been released.
Submissions from all over the world showcase stunning mountain landscapes in Austria, a rainbow over the Faroe Islands and seals in Denmark, to name a few.
Other photos include whales off the coast of Nunavut, Canada and flowers in a Colorado, United States valley.
The editors’ picks from Week 2 of the international competition reflect some of their favorites.
Shanof K took this photo in Hallstatt, Austria and titled it ‘A Beautiful Morning in Hallstatt’. They wrote: ‘The image was taken from Hallstatt Village in Austria right after sunrise. I had to walk some distance to reach this village view point. It was worth every step that I took as the scene turned out to be magical with the fog movement. Luckily the fog did not cover up the mountains’
Sonalini Khetrapal took this photo, ‘Family Reunion,’ in an undisclosed location and wrote: ‘We found them early one morning feasting on a new kill of a springbok. It was an intense sight to watch them feed – our close proximity to them gave us an opportunity to observe their relationship with one another. It was fascinating to watch the brothers intermittently embrace each other and lick the blood off each other’s faces while the mother kept guard. This photograph captures the harshness of the wild and yet softens us to witness the strong bond between the brothers’
Witold Ziomek took this photo, called ‘Sunrise’. It shows a reflection of the morning light over the Koruldi Lakes in the mountainous nation of Georgia
The competition will accept submissions until November 17, and weekly displays will showcase a sampling of the stunning photos until that date.
Photos can fall into one of four categories: wildlife, landscapes, aerials and underwater.
Competitors are battling it out for a grand prize of $7,500. The grand-prize winner will also see their image displayed an an issue of National Geographic magazine.
There will then be a first-place winner in each of the four categories. Each will receive $2,500. There will also be a ‘People’s Choice’ winner.
The competition comes on the heels of the Travel Photographer of the Year award.
The grand prize for that competition was a trip to the Galapagos Islands. The winner was a photo of a volcano erupting in Rancho de Aguirre, Colima, Mexico.
Lars Lykke traveled ‘to the very north of Denmark, Skagen, at sunrise and found this willing model.’ They titled their photo ‘One Happy Seal Model’
Wojciech Kruczynski took this photo, called ‘Kalsoy,’ on Kalsoy Island in the Faroe Islands. The photo taken at sunset also shows Kallur Lighthouse
This photo by Dan Charity is called ‘Whale Shark in Thailand’ and was taken in Ko Pha Ngan, Nakhon Si Thammarat. Charity wrote: ‘The young Whale Shark was swimming in the Gulf of Thailand at a popular dive site called Sail Rock near the island of Koh Pha Ngan. The brief encounter was was captured whilst diving the remote reef which the graceful giant was using as cleaning station, a sort of car wash for big fish’
Florian Ledoux took this photo called ‘Thousands of Belugas’ in Nunavut, Canada. Ledoux wrote: ‘Every summer, a thousands of belugas come back in the shallow whater of Nunavut. They spend summer in estuaries, scratching their skins on the bottom. We can see them really close to the shore,in a turquoise water that make you feel you are not in the arctic. The photo was taken during a wildlife reportage in Nunavut and Greenland during summer 2017’
Mike Korostelev took this photo, called ‘Liquid Bear,’ in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Kamchatka, Russia
This photo, called ‘Sea and Salt,’ was taken by Wellington Rodrigues in Torrevieja, Valencia, Spain. Rodrigues wrote: ‘Spain has many impressive landscapes and fascinating destinations, but one of the most amazing natural resorts are the salty pink lakes in Torrevieja. In this beautiful coastal resort you can find two beautiful salt lakes: a blue-green one called La Mata lagoon and the other, of an impressive pink colour, known as Torrevieja lagoon; both connected to the sea by canals’
Alejandro Cupi took this photo, called ‘Great White Shark,’ at Guadelupe Island in Ensanada, Baja California, Mexico
This photo by Jeff Stoddart, called ‘Flowers Last Night,’ was taken at the Ice Lake Basin in Silverton, Colorado. Stoddart wrote: ‘The rain had come and gone a number of times throughout the trip. This was the scene that unfolded on the last evening. it was such a site to behold and a great way to end the trip’
This photo, called ‘Teardrop of Seals,’ was taken by Richard Wylie in Kingscote, South Australia. Wylie wrote: ‘Like most seals the Australian Fur Seals are very inquisitive and playful. I was lucky to spend a couple of hours playing with this small colony of female seals until the bull male got tired of the lack of attention and made it clear I wasn’t welcome anymore’
Ledoux also took this photo called ‘Above the Polar Bear’ in Arctic Bay, Nunavut, Canada. They wrote: ‘Dear future generation, I hope we will still be able to see the Arctic wildlife as we do now. It is threatened as the environement is changing. I was able to witness many scenes of wildlife and I can guarantee you this is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Here the polar bear might be interpreted as holding back the sea ice melting. Incredible and unique shot 6 meters above a polar bear in Nunavut, Baffin area during wildlife reportage in Nunavut and Greenland during summer 2017’
Tin Sang Chan took this photo, called ‘Great Gray Owl Taking Off,’ on a wintry day in an undisclosed location
This photo, called ‘Iceflowers,’ was taken by Stefan Thaler in Thiersee, Tyrol, Austria, who wrote: ‘I had to wait till the Lake Thiersee, which is frozen all the wintertime, begins to melt in Spring. Just for a few days you can see these natural patterns in the melting ice. But not without a drone. So I told my daughter to make a boat trip with her red kayak. Till now nobody in my hometown tell me how the patterns grow’