*Contest Entry Period Closes November 16, 2015*
 
The entry period for the annual National Geographic Photo Contest is almost over. Every year photographers from around the globe share photographs that transport us to another place, connect with us emotionally, or stir us to action.

Official categories are People, Places, and Nature. The contest began on September 1, 2015 and is accepting entries until November 16, 2015 at 12:00 pm EST. Entry fee is $15 per submission and prizes include:

– $10,000 Grand Prize with a trip to the National Geographic Headquarters + 3 nights accommodations in Washington, D.C.
– $2,500 for each category winner with their winning photo published in National Geographic Magazine

 

Click here to submit your own photo to the 2015 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest.

 

 

 

A line of elephants had just crossed the Chobe River on a hot day. As they relaxed by flicking cool sand on their backs, they were very aware to hide the youngest in the center of their grouping. For one moment though, this little one disguised in sand got through to give us a quick hello. Location: Chobe River, Botswana, Africa

 

 

 

I’ve loved watching wildlife documentaries since I was a kid. One of nature’s wonders that fascinated me the most was the annual return of Salmon to their birthplace for spawning…and the bears that live off of this phenomenon. To be able to see it happen in real life was just completely magical and struck a chord deep within. There were about 12 bears at the falls, but 6 that dominated the prime spots. It was peaceful between the bears as there was plenty of salmon to go around! Location: King Salmon, Alaska, United States

 

 

 

Breathtaking view from Schwarzstockli (2293m) over this spectacular natural border of cantons of Glarus and St. Gallen, Switzerland, as seen on an Autumn weekend trek in early October 2015. All after being chased, caught up and left behind by that glorious mist that hopped from one valley to another, leaving me with this frame to awe at. The gathering of clouds. Location: Ennenda, Glarus, Switzerland

 

 

 

Centuries ago the Buginese and Makassarese people were famously known as the great sailorman. By using handmade wooden boat named Pinisi they explore the boundaries of the country even to Madagascar. Even today the lives of the people there are still familiar with the sea. I took this photo on an afternoon in The Port Paotere where children’s descendants of the great sailor playing in shipwreck. Location: Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia

 

 

 

In Vinh Hy Bay, two women become lost in the fabric of a fishing net. That was just a random moment when I came to the fishing village to shoot the lifestyle of the fisherman. While the men do their fishing, their wives stay at home and do the errands. When we were there, the ladies were sewing the fishing net for a new fishing season. Location: Vinh Hy, Ninh Thuan, Vietnam

 

 

 

An Arctic fox frozen in willows. Location: Churchill, Manitoba, Canada

 

 

 

Whale Watch, Provincetown, Sept 19, 2015. My family and I were out in Cape Cod to celebrate my dad’s 60th birthday, and we took a whale watch for the first time in a decade. This baby whale put on quite a show for us with his rolls and waving and eventually swam under the bow of the boat, then dove and gave me this beautiful shot as he went under. I asked God for help in taking good photos on this trip, and he gave me this one that I couldn’t have imagined. Location: Provincetown, Massachusetts, United States

 

 

 

Freediving session in Antarctica…not even cold! Location: Snow Hill, Antarctica (general), Antarctica

 

 

 

A large, inquisitive and almost dangerously playful female Humpback whale calf measures me with her pectoral fin. This image was captured on a very wide fisheye lens, which doesn’t quite show how close she really is. By measuring how close I am she can determine if her tail is going to come in contact with me as she swims past. Location: Neiafu, Vava’u, Tonga

 

 

 

A warm and peaceful sunset above the fog at Mount Tamalpais, Northern California. Location: Mill Valley, California, United States

 

 

 

A baby giraffe seems to call the mother under an incredible sky full of sun rays. Location: Kenya, Africa

 

 

 

A monk on his way home~ Location: Bagan, Mandalay, Myanmar