2010 National Geographic Photo Contest Winners
Although we published some of the Contest Entries for 2010 National Geographic Photo Contest some time ago, today the popular magazine published the winners for the people, places and nature category.
Congratulations to the Nat Geo Contest winners: Chan Kwok Hung (people), Jana Asenbrennerova (places), Aaron Lim Boon Teck (nature) and Sean Heavey (honorary mention).
Winner: People
Photograph by Chan Kwok Hung, NGPC
In the winning picture in the 2010 National Geographic Photo Contest's "People" category, an Indonesian farmer and his buffalo charge through the mud—"an epic scene" in the words of contest judge Joel Sartore.
Farmers literally put a lot of stock into winning these annual races, which they believe will bring them luck during the upcoming growing season, according to photographer Chan Kwok Hung of Hong Kong.
Sartore, a contributing photographer for National Geographic magazine, said that "peak action, interesting subject matter, and a soft background all combined to make this image a winner."
Photographers from around the world submitted more than 16,000 pictures to the contest, which was open for entries from September 16 until November 30, 2010. (The National Geographic Society owns National Geographic News.)
Winner: Places Jana Asenbrennerova, NGPC
Workers expose a ship's innards in Chittagong, Bangladesh, one of the world's biggest ship graveyards.
Despite its unsafe work practices and pollution, the city represents "one of the biggest industry and job opportunities for many Bangladeshis," noted photographer Jana Asenbrennerova of San Francisco.
"I like how the photographer decided to shoot this quite tight, so we only see portions of the ship," said judge Sadie Quarrier, a National Geographic magazine senior photo editor. "This allows the eye to wander around and inspect all of the various pipes, parts, and people."
Winner: Grand Prize and Nature - Aaron Lim Boon Teck, NGPC
A canceled trek turned into the opportunity of a lifetime for photographer Aaron Lim Boon Teck, who captured an active Indonesian volcano in his image "Eruption of Gunung Rinjani."
"Trekkers [who] were able to make it up to the crater rim on time [were] able to camp overnight to witness the eruption [the] whole night long," Boon Teck, of Singapore, wrote with his submission to the 2010 National Geographic Photography Contest. "I wanted to share with everyone this experience of seeing many elements going on at a particular point in time."
Contest judge Joel Sartore said, "This image best represented the craft of photography.
"Not only is the light subtle and beautiful, and not only is it a lovely scene, but there's a volcanic eruption going on in the background," said Sartore, a contributing photographer to National Geographic magazine.
National Geographic magazine senior photo editor and judge Sadie Quarrier noted that combining multiple images into one stitched image "gives us a wide, powerful, and unique view."
As the grand-prize winner, Boon Teck's photograph will be published in National Geographic magazine. He'll also receive U.S. $10,000 and a trip to attend a photography seminar at National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Honorable Mention Sean Heavey, NGPC
In a runner-up image by U.S. photographer Sean Heavey, a supercell thunderstorm roars across a prairie in Montana. These colossal storms include mesocyclones, rotating updrafts that can deliver torrential rain and tornadoes, according to NASA.
Professional and amateur photographers worldwide submitted 16,000 pictures to the contest, which was judged by National Geographic magazine contributing photographers Joel Sartore and Stephen Alvarez and National Geographic magazine senior photo editor Sadie Quarrier.
