Choosing the winner of a competition that’s had more than 48,000 submissions is never easy and yet the judges of the 14th Annual Smithsonian Photo Contest have whittled their way down to just 70 finalists.
The competition received submissions from both amatuer and professional photographers from more than 146 countries and voting for the overall winners is now open for the Reader’s Choice. Each of the photos manages to capture a beautiful moment that tells a captivating story, whether it’s of a octopus taking a ride on a turtles back through the ocean to a beautifully composed photo of a baby elephant and its mother taking a drink.
You can see the full list of finalists as well as vote for your favourite here.
1. Take Me Away, Deer! Travel Finalist
2. Look Me In The Eye, Natural World Finalist
3. Lighting The Old Man, Travel Finalist
4. Firewalking, Travel Finalist
5. Dream, Natural World Finalist
6. Winter is Coming, Altered Images Finalist
7. Turtle-back Ride, Natural World Finalist
8. Swamp Raccoon, Natural World Finalist
9. Flying, Natural World Finalist
10. Long Cow, Mobile Finalist
11. Sustainable Future, Sustainable Travel Finalist
12. Cormorant Fisherman, People Finalist
13. Individual Communication, Travel Finalist
14. Into The Wild, Mobile Finalist
15. Snowflake, Mobile Finalist
via BoredPanda
