The winners of the 2018 National Geographic Photo Contest have just been announced, and yet again we’re in awe of the talent of so many photographers from around the world.
Selected from nearly 10,000 entries, an incredible aerial shot by photographer Jassen Todorov was chosen as the grand-prize winner. Scroll down to see his extraordinary – and damning – shot, plus other winners from this prestigious competition, and get some inspiration for when you document your own adventures in the future!
“Thousands of Volkswagen and Audi cars sit idle in the middle of California’s Mojave Desert. Models manufactured from 2009 to 2015 were designed to cheat emissions tests mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Following the scandal, Volkswagen recalled millions of cars. By capturing scenes like this one, I hope we will all become more conscious of, and more caring toward, our beautiful planet.” – Jassen Todorov
Location: Ralls, Texas, United States
“A rusting Ford Thunderbird is blanketed by red dust from a supercell thunderstorm in Ralls, Texas. The dry, plowed fields of the Texas Panhandle made easy prey for the storm, which had winds over 90 miles an hour ripping up the topsoil and depositing it farther south. I was forecasting and positioning a team of videographers and photographers on a storm chase in Tornado Alley – this was our last day of a very successful chase, having witnessed 16 tornadoes over 10 days. The target area for a storm initiation was just south of Amarillo, Texas. Once the storm became a supercell, it moved southbound with outflow winds that were easily strong enough to tear up the topsoil and send it into the air.” – Nicholas Moir
Location: Homs, Homs, Syria
“While on assignment for Der Spiegel, we made a road trip through Syria to document the current situation in major cities. When I first entered the Khalidiya district in Homs, I was shocked. To make this image, I asked a Syrian soldier in charge of the area if I could climb onto a ruin. The soldier agreed, allowing me to climb at my own risk. I climbed up the ruins of a former house – which was full of improvised explosive devices – and took the picture.” – Christian Werner
Location: Biei, Hokkaido, Japan
“Japan’s Blue Pond in Biei-cho, Hokkaido, has become very famous for attracting tourists from around the world. It is surrounded by beautiful mountains and trees. This pond, frozen during winter, was artificially made to prevent river contamination from the nearby active volcano, Mount Tokachi. The accumulated pond water contains high levels of minerals, such as those containing aluminium. The alluring view of the blue pond can take one’s breath away.” – Rucca Y Ito
“It was early morning when I saw the wildebeests crossing Tanzania’s Mara River. The layering of dust, shade, and sun over the chaos of wildebeests kicking up water gives this picture a sense of mystique and allure. It’s almost like an old painting – I’m still compelled to search the detail of the image to absorb the unreal scene.” – Pic Volkers
“A few miles from Qaanaaq (Thule), Greenland, I was hiking in search of musk oxen when I saw a group of them. This ox was running hillside in deep snow, which exploded underneath it. I was lucky enough to be at the right spot to see them frolicking, and I watched them closely for about an hour. I love photographing musk oxen against the wintry landscape: They’re very tough Arctic survivors. This photo shows their beauty and power – and the snow they deal with for about eight months of the year.” – Jonas Beyer
“Late at night, two southern white rhinoceroses emerged from the shadows to drink at a watering hole in Zimanga Game Reserve. They were back to back, observing their surroundings before lowering their heads. I underestimated the emotional impact the incredible beasts would have on me. They had been dehorned to deter poachers. I was full of emotion – and horror– that poaching had such a devastating effect. It must have been a hard decision to dehorn them, and I am grateful for the reserve’s efforts.” – Alison Langevad
“We spotted a pride of lions sleeping on top of the kopjes in the Serengeti. As we approached the rocks, we saw quite a few cubs. The best moment was when three young cubs started playing and biting their mother’s tail – like kittens playing with yarn. I can’t remember a time I laughed so hard!” – Yaron Schmid
Location: Moi, Nairobi area, Kenya
“This photo of David Muyochokera was taken on his last day working as a photographer at Weekend Studio in Kibera, a large shantytown in Nairobi, Kenya. David had worked there for 37 years, but Weekend Studio was about to close permanently. David explained that with cameras now on phones, demand for his work had dwindled. I was troubled by the studio’s imminent closure, so I eventually took over the rent. A portrait of David now hangs at Weekend Studio in his memory.” – Mia Collis
Location: Nyngan, New South Wales, Australia
“On a family holiday driving from Sydney to Uluru, we stopped at a roadside motel in the small rural township of Nyngan, on the edge of Australia’s outback. The area is in the wheatbelt, and it was unusually hot for that time of year – over a hundred degrees Fahrenheit and very dusty. Our daughter, Genie, is seen here enjoying a refreshing bath in a rubber ducky perched on the sink.” – Todd Kennedy
Location: Kalna, Bengal, India
“A Hindu devotee kisses his newborn baby during the Charak Puja festival in West Bengal, India. Traditional practice calls for the devotee to be pierced with a hook and sometimes swung from a rope. This painful sacrifice is enacted to save their children from anxiety. While covering the festival, I was able to view the religious practice from the perspective of Hindu devotees. I tried to capture the moment of love between a father and his child – and show a father’s concern for his little son.” – Avishek Das
Location: Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepequez, Guatemala
“A Day of the Dead procession winds through the streets of Antigua, Guatemala.” – Buck Holzemer
Bonus round: Just because we love them, here are some more images submitted to the photo contest, featured in the People’s Choice gallery:
Category: Places
“In a time when approximately one-third of the world’s population can no longer see the Milky Way with the naked eye, Madagascar is a rare, isolated paradise untouched by modernisation or light pollution. This is a 47-minute exposure of the sky trailing over the iconic 800+ year old baobab trees of the famed ‘Allée des Baobabs’ in Morondava, Madagascar, with the setting moon illuminating the foreground.” – Maggie Machinsky
Category: Places; Location: Shell, Wyoming, United States
“The Hideout Lodge & Guest Ranch is located in a remote town in Wyoming where the cows outnumber the people. It’s luxurious, but this is not a spa with riding as a side activity – at this ranch, horses are the main event. Every day, one of us wranglers brings the herd of 120+ horses in during the morning round-up, and I captured this shot as the sun rose from behind the Big Horn Mountains, silhouetting my husband as he gathered the last stragglers – my favourite part of the day here.” – Lauren Summers
Category: Places
Location: Kolonaki, Attica, Greece
“A severe summer thunderstorm in Athens, Greece with the Acropolis between lightnings.” – Alexandros Maragos
Category: Wildlife; Location: Masai Mara, Rift Valley, Kenya
“After many days of following a cheetah, on the second last day of my trip this cheetah targeted a gazelle cub and started running towards the gazelle exactly the way I wanted and I was able to capture it running in between the black grass, with a dust forming behind its legs creating a magical frame. But the end was more astonishing. The cheetah started playing with the gazelle fawn like its own cub and then after some time set it free to its mother. Even the animals value the life of other animals.” – Thomas Vijayan
Category: Wildlife
“Chameleons shed their skin regularly throughout their lives but, unlike snakes, it peels off in bits and pieces rather than as a whole. This flap-necked chameleon, mid shed, was tentatively making its way across an open sandy area, putting itself at great risk from predators. My aim was to capture an image that depicted the vulnerability of the situation so I lay down, transporting myself into its world.” – Mike Dexter