National Geographic is renowned for presenting audiences with breathtaking images from around the world. Every year, the publication makes a call to the public to return the favor, sharing snaps from their own collections. The National Geographic Photo Contest is currently underway and will be accepting submissions until November 16. For a $15 entry fee, contestants can enter a digital image in one or all the categories of People, Places, and Nature. The images are then judged by National Geographic editors and photo experts, based on creativity, photographic quality, and genuineness/authenticity.
The winner of the contest, announced in December, will get their photo published in the magazine and on the website, earn a trip to National Geographic headquarters to participate in an annual photography seminary, and take home an impressive $10,000. You can peruse all of the top entries below, captioned by their photographers.
1. MAN AT WORK
Photo and caption by Bart Rozalski / 2015 National Geographic Photo Contest
"Worker's largest fish market in the world Tsukiji during loading of the goods after the auction. I spent almost five hours being at tuna auction and around photographing people at work. In 2016, the fish market will be moved to another location to Toyosu after 93 years of operation."
2. DRYING FISH
Photo and caption by Pham Ty / 2015 National Geographic Photo Contest
"The Vietnamese woman was drying fishes in Tien Giang province, Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Drying fish is special delicious food of Vietnamese. You can use it with steam rice, beer or wine as well. So many kinds of fish can dry to make those food. Enjoy it if you have opportunity to travel Mekong Delta, Vietnam."
3. TEA PICKING IN SRI-LANKA
Photo and caption by Tommy Reynolds / 2015 National Geographic Photo Contest
"Meet Miss Weerakone who works at the Kunduppakanda Tea Factory in Galle. Sri-Lanka is famous for its tea and Miss Weerakne is just one of millions of ladies working as a tea picker. Miss Weerakne works 10 hours a day picking tea with a few 'tea' breaks in between and has worked for the company for many years. The average tea working earns around £1.80 per day who have to hit a minimum target of 20kg of tea leaves a day. I'm very thankful she left me take this picture of her."
4. YANMAO
Photo and caption by Mattia Passarini / 2015 National Geographic Photo Contest
"In remote Sichuan area every year in July the shepherds cut the wool of their sheep for little money as additional livelihood. This woman, with the help of his other relatives, have more than 200 sheep, the work is done by hand with a simple scissors. The sale price of an entire sheep wool is about 3 usd (sic)."
5. READY FOR WORK...
Photo and caption by Volkan Aktuna / 2015 National Geographic Photo Contest
"Girls were waiting for customer to modelling, i try to take them naturally."
6. GIOVANNI
Photo and caption by Damiano Tomasin / 2015 National Geographic Photo Contest
"He's Giovanni, my cousin's grandfather. Despite his age (88 years old), he keeps doing the farm work. He looks after the fields and the cattle, helped by his wife and his sons. They were once a poor family, paying the rent both for the house and the fields, but thanks to hard work he was able to rise four good sons, buy the house and the fields and live a good life. I think his look and pose describe well his pride for the life he lives."
7. SHOPKEEPERS
Photo and caption by hongki lee / 2015 National Geographic Photo Contest
"In South Korea, 'Noryangjin' is very famous for its fish market. People who work in places that are more than 2,000, tens of thousands of people find a place in a day. If you buy the fish, can be trimmed to just eat the fresh seafood, seating anywhere."
8. A DAY AT WORK IN HORNSUND
Photo and caption by Robert Pogorzelski / 2015 National Geographic Photo Contest
"Substantial part of our duties as members of the Polish Polar Expedition is related to collecting scientific data. On the picture: the other crew heading to the Gashamna bay to gather results which will be used to analyse salt and fresh water exchange between glaciers and the Arctic Ocean."
9. PARADISE'S BUILDER
Photo and caption by Andy Lao / 2015 National Geographic Photo Contest
"This photo was taken during my vacation in Cambodia this year. When I was wandering on a street in Siem Reap, I found this construction site where a worker was working on his masterpiece. The splendid pure white tent and the beautiful sunlight made a simple but perfect picture."
10. THAI FISHERMAN
Photo and caption by Liza Boschin / 2015 National Geographic Photo Contest
"Thai fishermen load a trawler with empty fish barrels after the market day at Songkhla port. Every day hundreds of thousands of fish barrels are sold at local markets and then exported worldwide. Trawling is extremely aggressive in the Gulf of Thailand, causing fast decline of the marine population and killing vast sections of the coral reef. Most fishermen on board trawlers are enslaved immigrants coming from neighbouring countries."