Winning Shots: ' NatGeo Travel Photographer of the Year'- 2016

Winter Horseman: Photo and caption by Anthony Lau
Category : People
Where: Inner Mongolia
The winter in Inner Mongolia is very unforgiving. At a freezing temperature of minus 20 and lower, with a constant breeze of snow from all directions, it was pretty hard to convince myself to get out of the car and take photos. I saw horsemen showing off their skills and commanding the steed from a distance. I quickly grabbed my my telephoto lens and capture the moment when one of the horseman charged out from the morning mist."

Rooftop Dreams, Varanasi: Photo and caption by Yasmin Mund
Category : People
Where: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
It was 5:30 a.m. and I had just arrived in Varanasi, India, off a sleeper train. I got to my guesthouse and instinctively climbed the seven flights of stairs to see the sunrise over the famous Ganges River. As I looked over the side of the rooftop terrace, my jaw dropped in disbelief. Below were mothers, fathers, children, cats, dogs, and monkeys all sleeping on their roofs. It was midsummer in Varanasi and sleeping without air-conditioning was pretty difficult. Can you spot the curry?

Remote Life: Photo and caption by Mattia passarini
Category : Nature
Where: Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, India
An old woman in a remote village in Himachal Pradesh, India, carries a big log back home to warm up her house. Muscle Beach Gym

Muscle Beach Gym: Photo and caption by Dotan Saguy
Category : People
Where: Venice Beach, California, United States
A weightlifter lifts a barbell loaded with heavy plates while a bodybuilder performs an aerial handstand at the Muscle Beach Gym in Venice Beach, California.

Wherever You Go, I Will Follow: Photo and caption by Hiroki Inoue
Category : Nature
Where: Biei, Hokkaido, Japan
It was when I drove back home feeling disappointed with the fact that I had finished the day in vain without any anticipated subject that I heard the joyful voice from the car window like "quack, quack!" There they were: red foxes. Around the end of the winter, they meet the season of love; they care for and love each other enough to make us jealous.

Double Trapping: Photo and caption by Massimiliano Bencivenni
Category : Nature
Where: Brazil
I was in the Brazilian Pantanal along the Rio Negrinho. I realized that the river, at certain points of the loops, created places where there were many yacare caimans. I saw a yacare sink suddenly, and I immediately looked for the best location to photograph when it resurfaced. The whole thing lasted only a fraction of a moment.

Lagunas Baltinache (Atacama Desert): Photo and caption by Victor Lima
Category : Nature
Where: San Pedro de Atacama, Antofagasta, Chile
I made this photo during my recent photographic expedition in Atacama Desert, in April 2016. I embarked alone on this adventure to find images not yet published of the most arid desert in the world and its contrasts. Despite the Atacama Desert being one of the best places on the planet to do night photography, in my prior research I discovered that there were not many night photos in the main tourist destinations there.

Bears on a Berg: Photo and caption by John Rollins
Category : Nature
Where: Qikiqtarjuaq, Nunavut, Canada
The location is on the sea ice in Davis Straight, off the coast of Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic, on April 2, 2016. This mother polar bear and her yearling are perched atop a huge snow-covered iceberg that got socked in when the ocean froze over for the winter. To me, the relative smallness of these large creatures when compared to the immensity of the iceberg in the photo represents the precariousness of the polar bear's reliance on the sea and sea ice for its existence.

Ben Youssef: Photo and caption by Takashi Nakagawa
Category : Cities
Where: Marrakesh, Marrakech-Tensift-Al Haouz, Morocco
Marrakesh, Morocco, is an exciting city for any traveler, but I was tired of walking on the crowded street and being asked for money from local people, so I was looking for a place to settle down. Even though there were a lot of people in Ben Youssef Madrasa, it was still a more quiet and relaxing place than outside. Suddenly a beautiful reflection appeared on the shallow pool when I was taking a rest.

Silenced: Photo and caption by Wing Ka H.
Category : Cities
Where: Guangzhou, Guangdong Sheng, China
This photo was taken on my last trip to Guangzhou, China. This place is the school dormitories of South China Normal University. When I was hanging around, most of them were taking a break. After lunchtime, they needed to go back to study.

Celestial Reverie: Photo and caption by Jeremy Tan
Category : Cities
Where: George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
Lightning seemingly strikes Komtar Tower, the most iconic landmark of George Town, capital of Penang state in Malaysia, during a thunderstorm. It is symbolic of the rejuvenation that the city, famous for a unique blend of centuries-old buildings and modern structures, has enjoyed in recent years. While many of its old neighborhoods fell into neglect in the 1990s and early 2000s, a UNESCO World Heritage listing in 2008 sparked a transformation.

Photo and caption by Kathleen Dolmatch
Category : Cities
Where: Manhattan, New York, United States
From a doorless helicopter looking south on Central Park West, dividing the architecture and Central Park, on November 5, 2014, a day before my 27th birthday. The flight was my birthday gift.

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