National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest 2012: Winners And Finalists (Photos)

It is that of the year again – when the National Geographic Photo Contest reveals the winners!

The pictures have been chosen and as usual they are a stunning depiction of the world we reside in. the eleven pictures include scenes from around the world and have been chosen from more than 12,000 entries from 152 countries around the globe.

The Traveler Photo Contest, now in its 24th year, asks photographers from all over the world to submit their best shots of the world's most beautiful places or their most memorable travel moments. The categories for entries were Travel Portraits, Outdoor Scenes, Sense of Place and Spontaneous Moments.

The prizes this year ranged from a Galapagos photography expedition to $200 gift certificate with B&H photography, with Cedric Houin as the winner.

Cedric Houin’s entry was titled ‘Butterfly’ and ‘depicts the  family life in the remote lands of Afghanistan where a woman and child are inside a traditional yurt’. The photo shows the traditional with the modern – the yurt and the traditional way of life combing a radio and TV at the back of it.

Here are the stunning images from the winners of the 2012 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest:

Check out all winners and merits in the slideshow below. And don’t miss all the other amazing images, which can be found on the National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest website.

NOTE: All Images and captions courtesy of each credited photographer, all part of the 2012 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest.

Photo and caption by Cedric Houin

First Place Winner: Butterfly

This image was shot in the Kyrgyz lands of the Wakhan Corridor. The intimacy of this everyday life moment, shot inside of a family yurt, is in total contrast with the harsh environment these nomadic tribes live in. On the right we notice a television and a sound console. These tribes live weeks away from any village by foot. In spite of being located at an altitude of 4,300 meters in one of the most remote areas of Afghanistan they are equipped with solar panels, satellite dishes and cellphones. Ancestral ways of living, with touches of modernity

Photo and caption by Vo Anh Kiet

Second Place Winner: My Balloon

H'mong children play with their balloons on a foggy day in Moc Chau, Son La province, Vietnam; photographed January 2012.

Photo and caption by Andrea Guarneri

Third Place Winner: Devotees

During the Easter holy celebration called “Misteri” in Trapani, the devotees carry the scenes of Christ’s passion on their shoulders all night long. When the day comes they take a break.

Photo and caption by Ken Thorne/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest

Lost in Time- An Ancient Forest

Merit, Sense of Place: Lost in Time - An Ancient Forest

Near the city of Morondava, on the West coast of Madagascar lies an ancient forest of Baobab trees. Unique to Madagascar, the endemic species is sacred to the Malagasy people, and rightly so. Walking amongst these giants is like nothing else on this planet. Some of the trees here are over a thousand years old. It is a spiritual place, almost magical.

Photo and caption by SauKhiang Chau/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest

Old Men with Djellaba

Merit, Travel Portraits: Old Men with Djellaba

The Last Supper Of Da Vinci? No, They are just some old men of Chefchaouen with djellaba, sitting and talking each other.

Photo and caption by Camila Massu/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest

Swimming in the Rain

Merit, Sense of Place: Swimming in the Rain

My sister in the south of Chile. We are sitting at home next to the fireplace in our southern lake house when it suddenly began to pour uncontrolably. Had to rush into the lake to take this snapshot!

Photo and caption by Ken Bower/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest

The Village of Gásadalur

Merit, Outdoor Scenes: The Village of Gásadalur

The village of G·sadalur and the island of Mykines in the background. Until a tunnel was built in 2004, the 16 residents living in G·sadalur had to take a strenuous hike or horseback over the steep 400 meter mountain in order to make it to the other villages. It was a rare sunny day in the Faroe Islands and I had to wait until the clouds rolled in to provide some softer light. I decided to go with a long exposure (1 minute 10 seconds) to illustrate the force of the wind and a serene sea among the isolated islands.

Photo and caption by Fred An/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest

Looking into another world

Above: Merit, Outdoor Scenes: Looking into Another World

This is the great Japanese maple tree in the Portland Japanese Gardens. I tried to bring a different perspective of this frequently photographed tree.

Photo and caption by Peter DeMarco/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest

Bagan Bliss

Merit, Sense of Place: Bagan Bliss

More than 2,000 Buddhist temples and pagados fill the plains of Bagan. Once the capital of the Pagan Empire, farmers now raise their livestock within the centuries old complex. The best way to see Bagan, apart from a ride on a hot air balloon, is by bicycle. It's easy to get off the beaten path and live out your wildest Indiana Jones fantasy.

Photo and caption by Lucia Griggi/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest

Surfer, Fiji

Merit, Sense of Place: Underwater Surf

Taken at Cloud Break at an outer reef in Fiji, a surfer duck dives his board to clear the rolling waves of the raw ocean.

Photo and caption by Michelle Schantz/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest

Huest

Viewers' Choice Winner, Outdoor Scenes: Huset

A lonely cabin is illuminated under the Northern Lights in Finmmark, Norway.