The editors of Smithsonian magazine have just announced the finalists in their 14th annual photo contest, selected from more than 48,000 entries sent in from 146 countries. They've kindly allowed me to share several of these images here from the competition's seven categories: The Natural World, Travel, Sustainable Travel, People, The American Experience, Altered Images, and Mobile. Captions were written by the photographers. Be sure to visit the contest page at Smithsonian.com to see all the finalists and vote for your favorites.
Smithsonian Magazine's 2016 Photo Contest
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Lighting the Old Man On a stormy autumn day a fleeting shaft of light illuminates the Old Man of Storr and other pinnacles of the Trotternish Ridge on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. Photographed by Garry Ridsdale. #
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Firewalking Firewalking is the act of walking barefoot over burning charcoal. In Ha Giang, a mountain province in northern Vietnam bordered by China, the Pa Then ethnic group observes this practice to wish for prosperity in the new year. Photographed by Binh Duong. #
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Turtle-Back Ride The thing that draws me to the ocean the most is that I never know what I’m going to come across on any given day. I count myself extremely fortunate to have been in the right place at the right time to capture this image. Photographed by Michael B. Hardie in Hawaii. #
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Bestas Taking place every year across Galicia, Rapa das Bestas, or 'Shearing of the Beasts,' involves cutting the manes of semi-feral horses that live in the mountains. Horses are rounded up into enclosures called curros, foals are branded and the adults groomed before being freed. The best known is the Rapa das Bestas of Sabucedo, which occurs on the first weekend in July. Photographed by Javier Arcenillas. #
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Father Calling This night frog, endemic to the Western Ghats of India, exhibits a unique breeding behavior. The males call for females, the females come and lay the eggs, then the males fertilize them. In this image, the male has successfully fertilized a clutch of eggs from a female. He is calling out for other females to lay eggs. Photographed by Karthik AK. #
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Red I'm a street photographer. I search the streets of chaos and try to capture the beauty within that chaos. This is a candid picture and not posed. I was walking up the Royal Mile when it started to rain. People started looking for shelter. I found this subject hiding in a red phone box and caught them by surprise. I prefer viewers to interpret the picture for themselves. Photographed by Gareth Bragdon in Edinburgh, Scotland. #
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TV School A couple watches a television literacy program. This photo is part of a series on the impact that media has on the lives of people in rural Brazil. Photographed by Alisson Gontijo. #
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Flying We were the very last to get on a small plane taking us from Sochi to Saint Petersburg. Little did we know what was waiting for us up above. I took the window seat not expecting to see much, as there was a light drizzle landing on the plane. But as we took off, it became clear I had the best seat on the plane. Photographed by Lina Samoukova. #
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Paper Mill Waste from a paper mill is agitated by aerators, producing steam and foam, which are pushed by the wind. Clearwater Paper Reservoir, Lewiston, Idaho. Aerial image (shot from a plane at 1,500 feet). Photographed by Jassen Todorov. #
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Before the Portrait Lila Chosa sits on the side porch of her house while her family and friend get ready for a portrait behind her. Lila's grandmother, Heart Warrior, has spent years battling to keep custody of her grandchildren in Minnesota. It’s part of a long history of Native American removal and resistance. Photographed by Stephanie Foden. #
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Take Me Away, Deer! Since ancient times, the Nenets have led a nomadic life. Reindeer harnessed to sleds is the most reliable form of transport on the tundra, and the people of the North make use of their navigational abilities. In severe conditions, such as a blinding snow storm, deer are not only loyal companions, but sometimes the only hope for survival. Photographed by Kamil Nureev. #
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