The results of the National Geographic Magazine's annual photography contest were announced on Friday.
Four photographers were chosen from 148,203 images submitted to the International Photography Contest.
Four photographers are chosen from over 24,000 images submitted to the English Language portion of the International Photography Contest.
The other remaining categories are Honorable Mentions in the Animal, Landscape and People galleries.
In the Photography Essay contest, the winner is Tian Li, a photographer from China who submitted an essay on China's ways of life. Other winners are Jean Claude Louis, Howard Sheridan, Larry Louie, Ceren Karacayir and Sergio Andreozzi, among others.
I think that Larry Louie's black & white photographs of Tibet are remarkable, and deserve being published in any world-class magazine. However, it is Sergio Andreozzi's photograph of an impromptu scene of women going from window to window (above) that really captured by eye. The reddish dress matching the building's wall color and the movement of the women are perfect visual components. The electrical cable doesn't spoil the scene, because it's reality, and this is really what travel photography is all about.
I don't know where it was photographed (the caption doesn't provide the information), but from their dress, I would guess its in a Muslim community in India. (Update: Sergio emailed me to confirm that it was photographed in Jaipur).
My hat's off to the photo editors of the National Geographic Photography Contest...well done.
National Geographic Photography Contest
