The results are in for one of the most prestigious competitions for amateur and professional photographers, the 2015 National Geographic photo contest. First prize went to Anuar Patjane Floriuk for his utterly mesmerising underwater shot, titled ‘The Whale Whisperer’, of divers swimming close to a humpback whale near Roca Partida, an island off of the western coast of Mexico.
The winning images were selected from over 17,000 global entries, in a mixture of categories, including: Travel Portraits, Outdoor Scenes, Spontaneous Moments and Sense of Place. Floriuk was awarded with the grand prize of an eight-day National Geographic Photo Expedition to Costa Rica and the Panama Canal for two.
“The photo wasn’t planned,” said Floriuk, from Tehuacán, Mexico. “I was taking photos near the head of the whale, and all of a sudden she began to swim toward the rest of the diving team. The divers gave the whale and her calf space, and I just clicked at the moment when the flow and composition seemed right.”
The second place winner was shot in Bangladesh by Faisal Azim and is titled: ‘Gravel Workmen’
The third place winner was shot by Ahmed Al Toqi and is titled ‘Camel Ardah’, one of the traditional styles of camel racing between two camels controlled by skilful men. The sole purpose of Ardah is to show off the rider’s talent and the beauty and strength of Arabian camels.
Just missing out on the top three, seven images were awarded with merit. We loved ‘Sauna in the Sky’ by Stefano Zardini, ‘White Rhinos’ by Stefane Berube and ‘Indian Wrestling’ by Alain Schroeder.
Maggie Zackowitz, editor-in-chief of National Geographic Traveller magazine said: “National Geographic Travel celebrates and illuminates destinations around the globe, and it was exciting to see that same theme captured in the contest entries. I was blown away by the creativity of the photographers.”
The stunning winning image will be featured in the November 2015 edition of National Geographic, so keep your eyes peeled. You can take a look at the other merit prize winners and entries on the National Geographic website.
What do you think of the winning images? Tweet us your thoughts, @tweetjanes or comment below.