National Geographic Photo Contest 2013 Winners

Photographs and text courtesy of

National Geographic

The Ice Bear. A polar bear peers up from beneath the melting sea ice on Hudson Bay as the setting midnight sun glows red from the smoke of distant fires. The Manitoba population of polar bears, the southernmost in the world, is particularly threatened by a warming climate and reduced sea ice. Grand Prize and Nature Winner © Paul Souders/National Geographic Photo Contest

Graveyard. The surreal milky green water is a natural phenomenon caused by electromagnetic activity from lightning hitting the water's surface. The sky was charged and angry subjecting its wrath over the graveyard of dead trees in this normally very dry lakebed. Honorable Mention Places © Julie Fletcher/National Geographic Photo Contest

Indian Rhino, Canadian Winter. An Indian rhinoceros, far from home and stuck inside with late-winter blues at the Toronto zoo. Honorable Mention Nature © Stephen De Lisle/National Geographic Photo Contest

Cows And Kites. I was driving along the beach highway when I noticed the bulls sunbathing on the empty beach. I initially thought I was seeing things, but no it really was sunbathing cows! Honorable Mention Places © Andrew Lever/National Geographic Photo Contest

Flying Egrets. Great Egrets in the tidal area of the Danube in Hungary. Honorable Mention Nature © Réka Zsirmon/National Geographic Photo Contest

Long Road to Daybreak. Realizing this old town would soon be transformed into a new town through the speedy economic growth in China, I was pleased to capture this working mother carrying her child in her basket walking through the thick mist in a very early foggy morning. Places Winner © Adam Tan/National Geographic Photo Contest

Crows Nest. The crows that live in Tokyo use clothes hangers to make nests. In such a large city, there are few trees, so the natural materials that crows need to make their nests are scarce. Honorable Mention Nature © Yosuke Kashiwakura/National Geographic Photo Contest

Together, Alone. This portrait of two identical twins (Nils and Emil, 15 years old) in Fyn, Denmark, is part of a series of pictures, portraying people who have a strong connection to another person and who often think of themselves as a 'we' instead of 'me'. People Winner © Cecile Baudier/National Geographic Photo Contest

Ida. Ida is seven years old and born in Greenland. A year ago her mother, Marie, decided to move to Denmark in search of an easier life and to give her daughter everything that she never had, but the two cultures are very different and they have no Danish friends or any strong connections to Denmark. Honorable Mention People © Cecile Baudier/National Geographic Photo Contest

Life Along The Polluted River. A boy plays with balloons by Buriganga River as smoke emits from a dump yard during sunset in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Honorable Mention People © Andrew Biraj/National Geographic Photo Contest

Francesca. My girlfriend in her car. Honorable Mention People© Michele De Punzio/National Geographic Photo Contest

Arabic in Gambia. Arabic was born in one of the largest cities in the world, New York, and was raised in the Bronx, where she went to school until she was 13 years old. Her father decided to send her to her family in a small town named Bajakunda. Now she lives without electricity, working every day from early morning until late night. Honorable Mention People © Bisig Maurin/National Geographic

Laurentiu. Laurentiu and his family live in shacks next to the railway near the Ghent Dampoort. This picture is a part of my series called “Frumoasa", which is Romanian for “beauty”. Honorable Mention People © Aurélie Geurts /National Geographic Photo Contest

In November 2013, National Geographic magazine invited photographers from around the world to submit photos in three categories: People, Places and Nature. They received more than 7,000 entries from over 150 countries, with amateur and professional photographers across the globe participating. You can view the winning images in a full-screen slideshow here in LensCulture.

Learn more about the contest, and even download the winning images as "wallpapers" or "puzzles" for your computer screens at the National Geographic website. The three top winners will be published in the print version of National Geographic.

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