Viewers' Choice

National Geographic readers selected Dody Kusuma's photo, Another Perspective of the Day, as the winner of the Viewers' Choice award. Kusuma snapped the photo of a fisherman casting a net at Bira Beach, off the waters of Indonesia.

(Photo and caption by Dody Kusuma/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

Winners of the 2013 National Geographic Traveler's Photo Contest have been announced, and the images are nothing short of stunning.

This year's judges had the daunting task of narrowing the more than 15,500 entries down to just 11 finalists. Taken in locations from Brazil to Kenya, the winning pictures show everything from quiet landscapes to Mother Nature's fury.

"Every year the task of judging gets tougher," Keith Bellows, National Geographic Traveler magazine's editor-in-chief, said in a . "The quality of photos increasingly gets better — and the range of imagery is more diverse. It's exciting to see the emergence of such huge numbers of imaginative photographers."

Wagner Araujo of Brazil claimed this year's first place photo with his entry, "Dig Me River." The image captured Brazilian Aquathlon participants running into the Rio Negro. "I photographed it from the water and my lens got completely wet, but there was so much energy in these boys that I just didn't worry about it," Araujo said.

Araujo's grand prize will include a 10-day expedition to the Galapágos for two aboard the National Geographic Endeavor. The photo will also be published in the Dec. 2013/Jan. 2014 issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine.

Read on to see more of the images National Geographic has dubbed the best-of-the-best this year, and the stories behind the winning shots. For more information on the contest, visit

First Place: 'Dig Me River'

(Photo and caption by Wagner Araujo/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

"I was in Manaus, Amazonas, during the Brazilian Aquathlon (swimming and running) championship. I photographed it from the water and my lens got completely wet, but there was so much energy in these boys that I just didn't worry about that." — Wagner Araujo

For more information on the contest, visit

Second Place: 'Thunderstorm at False Kiva'

(Photo and caption by Max Seigal/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

"I hiked out to these ruins at night hoping to photograph them with the Milky Way, but instead a thunderstorm rolled through, creating this dramatic image." — Max Seigal

For more information on the contest, visit

Third Place: 'Say Cheese'

(Photo and caption by Yanai Bonneh/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

"Cheetahs jumped on the vehicle of tourists in Masai Mara national park, Kenya." — Yanai Bonneh

For more information on the contest, visit

Merit: 'The TataHonda sect.'

(Photo and caption by Gergely Lantai-Csont/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

"The photographer could get inside of an enclosed sect named Tatahonda in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The ladies are preparing for their religious ceremony." — Gergely Lantai-Csont

For more information on the contest, visit

Merit: 'Sakura'

(Photo and caption by Hideyuki Katagiri/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

"The cherry blossom is called Sakura in Japanese. The cherry blossom is a Japanese symbolic flower. There are various kinds in a cherry tree and an especially old cherry tree has many kinds called Edo-Higan." — Hideyuki Katagiri

For more information on the contest, visit

Merit: 'Children of Reindeer'

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

"Mikael Ánde, a child of Sámi reindeer herders, takes a break indoors after a long, cold day of rounding up the animals for vaccinations and slaughter. Children of reindeer herders learn to handle these animals and the land they thrive in from infancy — young Mikael here knew far more about the ways of nature than I could ever hope to learn." — Michelle Schantz

For more information on the contest, visit

Merit: 'Piano Play at Sunset'

(Photo and caption by Nikola Smernic/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

"Streets of Queenstown, New Zealand at the end of one more day filled with adrenaline. Calming and doleful scene with piano sound in the background." — Nikola Smernic

For more information on the contest, visit

Merit: 'Portrait of an Eastern Screech Owl'

(Photo and caption by Graham McGeorge/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

"Masters of disguise. The Eastern Screech Owl is seen here doing what they do best. You better have a sharp eye to spot these little birds of prey." — Graham McGeorge

For more information on the contest, visit

Merit: 'Guanjiang Shou'

(Photo and caption by Chan Kwok Hung/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

"Guanjiang Shou troupes are one of Taiwan's most popular activities that may be seen all over Taiwan at traditional folk religion gatherings. With their fiercely painted faces, protruding fangs and powerful, choreographed performances, they are easily recognized. They may be described as underworld police or gods' bodyguards." — Chan Kwok Hung

For more information on the contest, visit

Merit: 'Lady in Water'

(Photo and caption by Marcelo Salvador/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

"A lady collects water in the river by a village in Bagan, Myanmar, 2013." — Marcelo Salvador

For more information on the contest, visit

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