From 2015-2019, National Geographic ran contests for the photos of the year. The contest was halted in 2020, only resuming this year. The contest names approximately 10-15 winners each year, each of which features beautiful landscapes and unique backstories.

​

One of the contest's winners in 2015, submitted by Ahmed Altoqi, features a stunning showcase of the Omani Ardah. The Ardah is a special tradition reserved for special occasions and celebrations in Oman, involving horse or camel racing. The animals are raced by expert riders and the event aims to show the beauty and strength of Arabian horses and camels. Interestingly, however, the aim of it is to match the other animal's speed, rather than beat it. In this particular image, the camels gracefully speed past the camera leaving sand and debris behind.

​

Another winner, from 2019's contest, captures Upernavik, a fishing village on an island in west Greenland. The image was submitted by Weimin Chu, as part of a three-month project to photograph life in Greenland. The different-colored buildings represent different functions, blue ones representing fishermen's homes, and red ones representing storefronts. Their different colors help people distinguish them in snow-ridden landscapes.​

​

An honorable mention, submitted by Rhez Solano in 2023, features a crowd of king penguins on the beaches of Gold Harbour in South Georgia. The island sits remotely in the southern Atlantic Ocean, and is home to an outstanding 25,000 breeding pairs of king penguins. The island is also home to other fascinating animals, such as gentoo penguins and elephant seals.

​

The pictures above are the tip of a gorgeous iceberg of images that are submitted year-over-year to National Geographic. Of the 2 million images submitted this year, National Geographic only chose 1 winner and 9 honorable mentions, a testament to the quality of images that ended up one of the 10. Similar numbers are true for previous years, leaving us with approximately 75 jaw-dropping pictures to enjoy.