Discover Yahoo! With Your Friends

Explore news, videos, and much more based on what your friends are reading and watching. Publish your own activity and retain full control.

To get started, first

YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

National Geographic’s photo of the year winners

By Eric Pfeiffer | The Sideshow – Mon, Jan 9, 2012

National Geographic has released the winners of this year's worldwide photography competition. Back in November, we showed you some of the more compelling entries in the competition. Here is the photo that won both the Grand Prize and "Nature" categories, taken by Shikhei Goh in Batam, Riau Islands, Indonesia:

The winner of this year's National Geographic photo competition

Goh writes of his award-winning picture:

This photo was taken when I was taking photos of other insects, as I normally did during macro photo hunting. I wasn't actually aware of this dragonfly since I was occupied with other objects. When I was about to take a picture of it, it suddenly rained, but the lighting was just superb. I decided to take the shot regardless of the rain. The result caused me to be overjoyed, and I hope it pleases viewers.

The other main categories were "People" and "Places." Water is a regular theme in the top-placing photos; nine of the 14 featured pictures used water in the shot. More than 20,000 photos were entered in the competition, with entries coming in from more than 130 countries. Both professional and amateur photographers submitted their work.

Here are some more of the winning photos:

Space shuttle, Endeavour, launches into orbit, by James Vernacotola

National Geographic says that its judges evaluated the submitted entries on the basis of creativity and photographic quality. The panel of judges included field biologist and wildlife photojournalist Tim Laman, Nationa National Geographic photographer Amy Toensing and National Geographic nature photographer Peter Essick.

"Sulfuric fire festival", taken by Hung-Hsiu Shih in Taipei, Taiwan.

You can see more of the winning photos here.

Other popular Yahoo! News stories:

• Woman survives fall from broken bungee jump

• White House hosted "Alice in Wonderland" party

• Man calls 911 after gluing plastic cups to head

@yahoonews on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook

Editors' Picks

Explore Related Content

1 - 4 of 12

prevnext

Play Video
14-year-old Texan wins National Geographic …
AP
National Geographic Bee
14-year-old Texan wins National Geographic …
A first-time National Geographic Bee contender from Texas has won the annual … Full Story »14-year-old Texan wins National Geographic Bee
Associated Press
Play Video
Doomsday delayed? New Maya calendar …
AP

Today on Yahoo!

1 - 4 of 20

prevnext

All Comments

9 comments

Walt • 4 mths ago
In contrast with news items that flood us every day, these photos remind us that there is still much beauty in the world. My thanks to National Geographic and, most importantly, to the photographers who remind us to see the beauty around us, which is a real balm for the soul.
- SoCalGal 4 mths ago
  Nicely put! Thank you for saying it so well!
Sam • 4 mths ago
Fantastic shots!!!
dk • 4 mths ago
OMG, I can't believe Yahoo finally learned how to place photos into their news story.
Btw, the photos are amazing!
- Joe 4 mths ago
  Tip me over with a feather. Yer right!
Sam • 4 mths ago
Fantastic shots!!!
Noureen • 4 mths ago
oh my GOD shot of dragonfly is fantasssssssssssstic...
and superbbbbbbbbbbbbbb efforts by all other photographers also.....
Agus Suprihatin • Jakarta, Indonesia • 4 mths ago
Indonesia!
Lindacay • Lewiston, Idaho • 4 mths ago
congratulation s to all the pictures thank you lindacay
just a decent person • 4 mths ago
After looking at the photos on their site I have to say I think they included the worst with the best. A nobody rap duo during cell phone interview? Pitiful.
- Walt 4 mths ago
  I think you're used to celebrity photos. The point of photos like this is to capture the play of light and color, to freeze a point of time that might have been missed, to present line and form in a way to capture viewers' imaginations. That you don't know or recognize the subject is beside the point. The world is bigger than you, and it so happens that this is what these photographers were capturing.
- just a decent person 4 mths ago
  "celebrity photos"??? What does that even mean?! Isn't the photo one of two so-called "celebrities"?!
  
  "National Geographic says that its judges evaluated the submitted entries on the basis of creativity and photographic quality."
  
  There's nothing creative or imaginative about a photo of someone talking on a cell phone, "a point in time" not worth freezing when such a point could be frozen at any given second on a busy city street, bus, park or restaurant. And the phrase "photographiic quality" definitely does not come to mind when viewing a sun-glared, over exposed, off color, overly back-lit photo shot through a dirty lens.
  
  If you think that "what these photographers were capturing" is an indication that this is a big world, I would suggest you go do some extensive exploring.
- Ruler 4 mths ago
  If I could hack yahoo, I'd pop a Kim or Snookie pic in there...just to freak every one out :-)
Gossiper • Ferndale, Washington • 4 mths ago
I was just happy they didn't have some gay holding paws.
- Ruler 4 mths ago
  That the best you got Gossiper? Pretty LAME.
- Gossiper 4 mths ago
  For some of us we expect that every time we turn on the tv, computer, radio,
  movie. The gay push in this country didn't come from the people it cam from government and large business. People voted against it, the senate voted against it, but the gay judges who preside over these matters keep throwing our voice in the toilette, well guess what we do have a voice and we are sick of all this perversion being shoved down our throats, and our kids throats.
- Ed 4 mths ago
  You are an idiot..
More

Reply

[ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['Titanic', 7]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/titanic-anniversary/', ' ', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/b/4e/b4e5ad9f00b5dfeeec2226d53e173569.jpeg', '550', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]

[ [ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]], '29438204', '0' ], [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]