During the month of November, National Geographic magazine invited photographers from around the world to submit photos in three categories: People, Places and Nature. The 2013 National Geographic Photo Contest received more than 7,000 entries from over 150 countries; you can view all of the winning images here.

The judges unanimously agreed the Grand Prize should be awarded to Paul Souders for his image of a polar bear lurking beneath melting sea ice in Hudson Bay, Canada. Souders won $10,000 (USD) and a trip to National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C., to participate in the annual National Geographic Photography Seminar in January 2014. In addition, the three winning images (one for each category) will be published in National Geographic magazine.

There’s a great interview with the winning photographer on National Geographic’s blog PROOF. Visit www.ngphotocontest.com to see more winners and notable entries.