2012 NG Photo Contest: The Winners

The subject's name is Busaba, a well cared for Indochinese Tigress whose home is at Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Thailand. I had taken many portraits of Busaba previously and it was becoming more and more difficult to come up with an image that appeared any different to the others. Which is why I took to observing her more carefully during my visits in the hope of capturing something of a behavioural shot. The opportunity finally presented itself while watching Busaba enjoying her private pool then shaking herself dry. In all humility I have to say that Mother Nature smiled favourably on me that day!
Ashley Vincent

Photo Location: Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Chonburi, Thailand
National Geographic Photo Contest

The Matterhorn 4478 m at full moon.
Nenad Saljic

Photo Location: Zermatt, Switzerland
National Geographic Photo Contest

At the end of the day women are allowed to pick through the dumpsite.
Micah Albert

Photo Location: Dandora, Kenya
National Geographic Photo Contest

Chipping ice off an iceberg is a common way for the Inuit community to retrieve fresh drinking water while on the land. During a weekend long hunting trip, we came upon this majestic iceberg frozen in place. It was a perfect opportunity to grab enough ice and drinking water for the remainder of the trip.
Adam Coish

Photo Location: Nunavut,Canada
National Geographic Photo Contest

A race that follows in the path of the famous explorer Roald Amundsen brings the contestants to the Hardangervidda Mountainplateu, Norway. 100km across the plateau, the exact same route Amundsen used to prepare for his South Pole expedition in 1911 is still used by explorers today. Amundsen did not manage to cross the plateau and had to turn back because of bad weather. He allegedly said that the attempt to cross Hardangervidda was just as dangerous and hard as the conquering of the South Pole.
The group in the picture used the race as preparations for an attempt to cross Greenland.
Kai-Otto Melau


Photo Location: Hardangervidda, Norway
National Geographic Photo Contest

Everyday in mara starts with something new and different and day ends with memorable experiences with spectacular photographs. I was very lucky of sighting and photographing Malaika the name of female Cheetah and her cub. she is well known for its habit to jump on vehicles. She learned that from her mother Kike, and Kike from her mother Amber. Like her mother she is teaching lessons to her cub. Teaching lessons means addition of another moment for tourist. This is one of the tender moment between Malaika and her cub. I was very lucky to capture that moment.
Sanjeev Bhor

Photo Location: Masai mara National Reserve, Kenya
National Geographic Photo Contest

A race that follows in the path of the famous explorer Roald Amundsen brings the contestants to the Hardangervidda Mountainplateu, Norway. 100km across the plateau, the exact same route Amundsen used to prepare for his South Pole expedition in 1911 is still used by explorers today. Amundsen did not manage to cross the plateau and had to turn back because of bad weather. He allegedly said that the attempt to cross Hardangervidda was just as dangerous and hard as the conquering of the South Pole.
The group in the picture used the race as preparations for an attempt to cross Greenland.
Kai-Otto Melau


Photo Location: Hardangervidda, Norway
National Geographic Photo Contest

Dragon boating is a chinese traditional entertainment. As an acquatic sport to memorise qu yuan, a patriotic poet in ancient china, it is usually held in festivals, which can be traced back to two thousands years ago.

Photo Location: Yanbu Town, Foshan City, Guangdong Province, P.R.CHINA
National Geographic Photo Contest

Glacial ice washes ashore after calving off the Breiamerkurjˆkull glacier on Iceland's eastern coast. During the waning light of summer this image was created over the course of a 4 minute exposure while the photographer backlit the grounded glacial ice with a headlamp for 2 of those 4 minutes.
Eric Guth

Photo Location: Just east of Jökulsárlón lagoon. Along Iceland's eastern coast.
National Geographic Photo Contest

Yayasan Galuh Rehabilitation Center is an impoverished mental health facility based in Bekasi, Indonesia that hosts over 250 patients.  Most come from poor families no longer interested in managing their condition, or are unable. Some patients are homeless, deposited after being taken off streets by police The only medical treatment received is for skin conditions. No assessments, psychotherapy or psychiatric medications is available. Over one third of the patients are shackled in chains. These measures are implemented to those thought to be violent, uncontrolable and dangerous.
Wendell Phillips

Photo Location: Bekasi, Indonesia
National Geographic Photo Contest

The winter gloomy day worked to my advantage to create this eerie feeling of the famous landmark Eiffel tower.
Indra Swari Wonowidjojo

Photo Location: Paris, France
National Geographic Photo Contest

I was surrounded by thousands of fish that moved in synchrony because of the predation that was happening. It was an incredible experience.
Fransisca Harlijanto

Photo Location: Komodo, Indonesia
National Geographic Photo Contest

This photo of a wild, Alaskan, brown bear digging on a game trail was taken with a home made motion controlled triggering device hooked up to my DSLR.
—Jason Ching

Photo Location: Bear Creek, Lake Aleknagik, Alaska
National Geographic Photo Contest

Stilt fishing is a typical fishing technique only seen in Sri Lanka. The fishermen sit on a cross bar called a petta tied to a vertical pole planted into the coral reef.

This long exposure shot shows how unstable their position is.
Ulrich Lambert

Photo Location: Midigama, Sri Lanka
National Geographic Photo Contest