National Geographic Traveller (UK) Photo Competition 2015

The winners of the National Geographic Traveller (UK) Photo Competition 2015 have been announced and, as usual, the quality of entries has been astounding. Entries were welcomed in six categories: Animal, Action, River, People, Urban and Rural. Check out the top three finalists in each category.

Category: Animal

A critically endangered species of Siberian Tiger.
Photographer: Michael Gallagher

Category: Animal

Playful and curious lion cubs investigate the camera.
Photographer: Angus Stead

Category: Animal (WINNER)

Gentoo Penguins photographed at Falkland Islands.
“I dug a small hole in the sand so as to not startle the penguins on their route back to their nest. I laid in wait for hours before these curious chaps came over to see who I was — I couldn’t help but think they were posing for me.”
Photographer: Barry Robertson

Category: Action

Two opposite yet complementary energies converge: stark concrete and fluid skateboard.
Photographer: Joe Almond

Category: Action

A lone coastal brown bear’s reflection is captured.
Photographer: Kevin Morgans

Category: Action (WINNER)

A train meanders through serpentine paths in the Sri Lankan midlands.
“Overcrowded trains often leave local travellers with no other choice than standing in the open door or even hanging outside. I quickly discovered this is a photographer’s dream.”
Photographer: Yanick Targonski

Category: River

People take the annual dip in almost freezing temperatures in the River Warfe on New Year’s Day, in Otley, Yorkshire, UK.
Photographer: Andrew Clayborough

Category: River

Trees are reflected in a swollen river at sunrise.
Photographer: Gabriella Brunton

Category: River (WINNER)

The thawing River Rio de las Vueltas in Patagonia, Argentina, with Fitz Roy mountain in the distance.
“I travelled to Río de las Vueltas, near El Chaltén, Santa Cruz Province in August, which is winter in the region, and expected challenging snow and ice. However, for much of the two weeks, the sun shone, giving outstanding views of the Cerro Torre and Cerro Fitz Roy mountains.”
Photographer: Claire Carter

Category: People

Holi celebrations in Kolkata, India.
Photographer: Gavin Burnett

Category: People

A young girl plays with an umbrella during the “Umbrella Revolution” protests in Hong Kong.
Photographer: Tom Wright

Category: People (WINNER)

A traditional New Year ritual dance in Comanesti, Romania in which participants dress up as bears.
“Accompanied by their gypsy trainer and a youth beating a tambourine-type instrument, the animals crawl through the crowd in this symbolic ritual. The bears perform a dance until they fall dead on the ground. After their hearts are taken by the trainer, the bears return to life, but theoretically, a gentler one. This ancient rite suggests man’s power to tame nature.”
Photographer: Alecsandra Raluca Dragoi

Category: Urban

The street art scene in Shoreditch, east London.
Photographer: Cindy-Lou Dale

Category: Urban

Commuters on the platform in the London Underground.
Photographer: Teddy Duran

Category: Urban (WINNER)

St Paul’s Cathedral framed by silver birches on the South Bank in London.
“I wanted to show the interaction and beauty of urban trees in our built environment. The photo has many temporal relationships: people in coats frozen in the scene, and the leaves of late Autumn; as well as the whiteness of the silver birches and the stone of St Paul’s.”
Photographer: Philip Braude

Category: Rural

A landscape view of Srengeti village in Tanzania.
Photographer: Ewa Rapciak

Category: Rural

A local stands on his water buffalo near Hoi An, Vietnam.
Photographer: Ed Salter

Category: Rural (WINNER)

Adventure seekers climb up a doline (sinkhole) deep inside Son Doong, Vietnam, the world’s biggest cave.
“Two-way radios and a laser pointer were used to get people in position for this photo, and ensure their headlamps provided just the right amount of illumination.”
Photographer: Chris Miller

Source: msn.com