Winners of the National Geographic 2015 Traveler Photo Contest

Every year National Geographic's Traveler hosts a photo competition to see some of the best photos from all corners of the world. National Geographic had almost 18,000 submissions, in the categories of Travel Portraits, Outdoor Scenes, Sense of Place, and Spontaneous Moments. The Editors chose only 10 for the top prizes. Here are the top three winners, and a few merit winners as well. 

"Whale Whispers" wins the coveted 1st Place. Photographer Anuar Patjane photographs aquatic life often, and captured this image off the coast of Mexico. The photographer has won honorable mentions in the past for his images, and it's no wonder he one the grand prize with this beautiful black and white. 

 

Had I been an editor over at Nat Geo, I would have picked "Gravel Workmen" for first place. The 2nd Prize winner, Photographer Faisal Azim captured this beautiful image in Bangladesh. The colors are just absolutely breathtaking, and the texture from the gravel on glass really adds to this incredible image. 

 

A traditional style of racing camels, "Camel Ardah" makes me feel like I am right there at the races. The framing of this image is incredible, as the Photographer Ahmed Al Toqi is dangerously close to these animals and their expert riders. I mean, have you guys been around camels? They are not nice, and with such a tense and close race such as the Ardah, I can only imagine the difficulty to get the shot, and admire the skill that this photographer posses. 

 

The prizes for being chosen as top out of 18,000 submissions are pretty amazing (as they should be). 1st Place "Whale Whispers" won an eight day trip for two, with airfare paid to a Photo Expedition in Costa Rica and the Panama Canal. 2nd Place "Gravel Workmen" also won a Photo Expedition, to Yellowstone National Park, and 3rd Place "Camel Ardah" won a six-day cruise along the coast of Maine. The merit winners won prizes from our friends over at B&H Photo and all the winners won a subscription to Traveler Magazine (which you should subscribe to as well!).  Here are some of the merit winners, with my personal favorite being "Highlanders." You can see the rest of the submissions, as well as top picks each week on Traveler's site. Will you submit next year?