Here’s a panorama of the most beautiful photos of winners and candidats we have discovered through the different contests by National Geographic during the year 2014. Impressive images, of animals and nature landscapes, are to discover in details in the gallery.


Photo and caption by Carey Nash / National Geographic Photo Contest. “Man made cave”. In the Tigray mountains this incredible cave was hand carved to connect the villages on the other side of the mountain. I love how the shape of the cave resembles the shape of Africa. Photo location: Tigray Mountains, Ethiopia.

Photo and caption by Francesco Riccardo Iacomino / National Geographic Photo Contest. “Dreamscape”. A stunning sunset painted the sky over the Jokulsarlon Glacer Lagoon in South Iceland. It was a typical cloudy day in the Icelandic summer. The day was not hoping for a nice sunset, but I still decided to go on the spot, hoping to finally see the sun once the same had left behind the clouds. When the sun went down, in fact the sky burned out in an incredible vanilla tone. The scene was so peaceful and placid, so I decided to capture it with a long exposure, to bring out the amazing sense of oniric peace that this amazing sunset created. It has been like living in a dream. Photo location: Jokulsarlon Glaier Lagoon, Iceland.

Photo and caption by Carey Nash / National Geographic Photo Contest. “The market day”. In Ethiopia this road is filled with life as the villagers travel to the weekly market at sunrise. Photo location: Bahir Dar.

Photo and caption by Douglas Croft / National Geographic Photo Contest. “Kleine Scheidegg”. We had one full day in the Berner Oberland during our trip through the Alps. Our one day happened to be very cloudy with a forecast of afternoon thunderstorms. We got onto the Panorama Trail early and we able to catch a few breaks in the clouds. To say that this view from near the Kleine Scheidegg train station was stunning would be a vast understatement. Photo location: Kleine Scheidegg, Switzerland.

Photo and caption by Cherly Jong / National Geographic Photo Contest. “Mom’s Love”. The Mother Bird,feeding time. Photo location: Jakarta.

Photo and caption by Adam Adkins / National Geographic Photo Contest. “Electric Night”. This lightning storm had prolific lightning for a time during the monsoon in August. Photo location: Castle Rock, Colorado.

Photo and caption by Misty Gage / National Geographic Photo Contest. “Hello”. Capturing this gentle giant’s inquisitive nature was rather easy as he swam right up to us and just stared for several long seconds. I love all the bubbles and his cute little face. Photo location: Point Defiance Zoo, Tacoma, WA, United States.

Photo and caption by Matthew Smith / National Geographic Photo Contest. “Physalia Physalis”. Despite their potentially dangerous sting, the bluebottle cnidaria is an amazingly beautiful creature. I wanted to demonstrate this with careful lighting and composition. After strong NE winds hundreds of these cnidaria are blown into the bays around my home town and trapped overnight, enabling me to get my shots. Post processing is limited to colour temp and small amounts of burning. Also slightly cropped. Photo location: Shellharbour, NSW, Australia.

Photo and caption by Cindy Rossit / National Geographic Photo Contest. “King of the Zoo”. This photo of this giant majestic king of the beasts was captured at my local zoo summer of 2013. He was always so regal looking. This portrait of him captures his beautiful eyes and stunning mane. Photo location: Elmvale Zoo, Elmvale, Ontario, Canada.

Photo and caption by Nicolas Reusens / National Geographic Photo Contest. “Rain is a gift”. Alone in the rain this strange to see Agalychnis Lemur pose for me and my camera… Click! Photo location: La fortuna, Costa Rica.

Photo and caption by Tylee Parvin / National Geographic Photo Contest. “Mezmorized by Grace”. This Pink and brilliant colored Flamingo was caught taking a mid-day break as she nuzzled herself within her feathers amongst the other birds. The beauty is captivating and there’s a sense of piece and tranquility seen in her eyes. Photo location: Birminghan Zoo, Birmingham Alabama.

Photo and caption by Aaron Baggenstos / National Geographic Photo Contest. “Catch of the Decade”. Can you guess what happened next? Photo location: Katmai National Park, Alaska, USA.

Photo and caption by Achmad Sumawijaya / National Geographic Photo Contest. “Hold On”. This Jockey is trying to survive keeping his balance when spurred two cows in Cow Race at West Sumatra. Photo location: West Sumatra.

Photo and caption by Istvan Kerekes / National Geographic Photo Contest. “The carpet maker”. Carpet maker Kurdish women. Photo location: Tekeli village, Turkey.

Photo and caption by Christina Kehres / National Geographic Photo Contest. “Hope on the Horizon”. A young Swazi girl holds on to the hope found in Jesus Christ promised to her daily in the sunset over the mountains. Photo location: Mbabane, Swaziland, Africa.

Photo and caption by Esteban Sanchez / National Geographic Photo Contest. “Someday…” If Csabi behaves well, after school he is allowed to ride his mini-motorbike in the street. He would like to be racer when he grows up. Photo location: Szigetmonostor, Hungary.

Photo and caption by Bill Stipp / National Geographic Photo Contest. “The Buckskin”. As I was waiting for the sunset to get a silhouette of rider on horseback the God light begin to break thru the clouds and outlining the horse in a glow of yellow light. Never got my silhouette but got a better picture. Photo location: Weatherford, Texas.

Photo and caption by Douglas Croft / National Geographic Photo Contest. “Above Big Sur”. I’d gone to Big Sur to watch the gray whale migration from the cliffs, but it was too foggy to even see the water. I decided to hike up the Baronda Trail to see if I could get above the fog. This view was my reward. Miles of lupine and blue skies. Outstanding! Photo location: Big Sur, California.

Photo and caption by Juan Manuel Aguilera Angulo / National Geographic Photo Contest. “Mists around Kilimanjaro”. This picture was taken during a safari in Amboseli. The sky was clear early in the morning, but around ten it began to cloud over around the Mountain. Creating the effect of an island over the the sea. I hope to go back to Africa and see again the snow-covered peak of Kilimajaro. Maybe in the future this picture won’t be possible due to climate change. Photo location: Amboseli National Park, Kenya.

Photo and caption by Bill Stipp / National Geographic Photo Contest. “Sunrise Plaosan Temple”. While in Indonesia shooting TV commercial one of our locations was this temple. Sun rose as the people worked in rice paddies. Photo location: Plaosan Temple, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Photo and caption by Sho Shibata / National Geographic Photo Contest. “Blazing”. Tsuta-swamp in Aomori Japan. The autumn leaves blazing in response to the morning sun. Photo location: Towada Aomori, Japan.

Photo and caption by Grzegorz Kapias / National Geographic Photo Contest. “Mont Blanc lights”. The road on the ridge towards the summit of Mont Blanc (4450 m). Photo location: Mont Blanc, France.

Photo and caption by Juan DeLeon / National Geographic Photo Contest. “Mexican Long Nosed Bat”. Mexican Long Nosed Bat feeding on a nectar flower during the night at Elephant Head in Arizona. The photo was taken during the night with inferred triggers that set off the camera when the bats came to the flower to feed. Photo location: Elephant Head in Southern Arizona.

Photo and caption by Joel Spooner / National Geographic Photo Contest. “Kings Valley Clouds”. I walked out onto a rock outcrop looking over the Kings Valley near Mansfield, Victoria. As I watched the morning clouds slowly disperse they opened up a beautiful landscape below me allowing the sun’s rays to penetrate through to the natural forest, contrasted with the cultivated straight lines of the vineyard. Photo location: Mansfield, Victoria, Australia.

Photo and caption by Michael PA / National Geographic Photo Contest. “Rocks of Monterey”. One of my favorite places to shoot in the USA is definitely the Pacific Northwest. For three nights I had no colour to speak of. Certainly nothing that made me get excited. The last day however the wind was strong, the clouds were coming and going fast, and the sunrise that Mother Nature gave us was AMAZING. This shot to me shows the magical colours that Mother Nature can throw our way on that coastline. Truly a beautiful place. Photo location: Monterey, California.

Photo and caption by Christian Spencer / National Geographic Photo Contest. “Kangeroo Dreaming”. In the salt lakes of the mallee Region of Victoria in Murray Sunset National Park in Australia the western grey kangeroo enters the salt lakes for still unknown reasons. Maybe to replenish salt levels, it is not clear. It was a magical moment and gives the impression of the kangeroo magically walking on water. Photo location: Murray Sunset National Park, Australia.

Photo and caption by Christian Spencer / National Geographic Photo Contest. “A tree dreaming”. In the Strezlecki desert of Australia a flock of galahs replenish on the only small water avaliable at the base of this lonely tree.Its a rare photo opportunity to get such a clear and symetrical shot of these beautiful birds in flight in the middle of the desert. Photo location: Strezlecki desert, Australia.

Photo and caption by Ragnheidur Arngrímsdóttir / National Geographic Photo Contest. “Inside Out”. Flying with my father over Bárðarbunga to experience this eruption from inside of our earth was amazing. The power, heat and beauty was overwhelming. On many occasions you feel how small you are when standing in the nature – this was one of those times, although I was not standing but sitting in my fathers plane. Photo location: Bárðarbunga, Holuhraun, Iceland.

Photo and caption by Hasan Baglar / National Geographic Photo Contest. “Sunward”. When the Mediterrenean Mantis opened its wings, It seemed very impressive at the sunshine… Photo location: Nicosia, Cyprus.

Photo and caption by Kiat Teo / National Geographic Photo Contest. “Swans in Golden Midst”. Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus) at Lake Kussharo, on the first couple of mornings that I had in Hokkaido. Small sections of the lake were warmed with hot spring waters allowing spots for the Whoopers to get overwinter. As early morning steam from the geothermal hot spots rises from the lake and diffuses morning light into multiple light rays, throngs of whooper swans arrived for their morning feeding. Wonderful flight shots of their arrival are possible, followed by extraordinary photo opportunities of them landing on the ice. Photo location: Lake Kussharo, Hokkaido, Japan.

Photo and caption by Colin Mackenzie / National Geographic Photo Contest. “Arctic Hi five”. Two Polar bear cubs full of adrenaline on iceflow in Svalbard. The mother was just trying to have a quiet stroll but the cubs were not having any of that. This was the male cub and he just was so entertaining to watch. Photo location: Svalbard, Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean.

Photo and caption by Laura Dinraths / National Geographic Photo Contest. “Dugong feeding on seagrass”. A dugong (Dugong dugon, sirenian) feeding on a seagrass field and accompanied by juvenile pilot jacks. Photo location: Abu Dabbab, Marsa Alam, Egypt, Red Sea.

Photo and caption by Lorenzo Mittiga / National Geographic Photo Contest. “The Iguana’s cave”. Unexpected underwater encounter with a Green Iguana. I was attempting to take some overunder sunset shots in a semi-submerged cave in Bonaire, when a Green Iguana swam toward my dome with an inquisitive doing. Just in front of my lens, she came up to the surface to take a quick breathe… Photo location: Island of Bonaire, Kralendijk, Dutch Caribbean.