The editors of Smithsonian magazine have just announced the 60 finalists in their 16th annual photo contest, selected from more than 48,000 entries sent in from 207 countries and territories. They have once again let me make a selection of these images to share here from the competition’s six categories: The Natural World, The American Experience, Travel, People, 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.
Finalists From Smithsonian Magazine’s 2018 Photo Contest
-
-
The Impassable. Finalist, Natural World. The Ófærufoss waterfall, in Iceland, is part of the Nyrðri-Ófæra river, often called the "impassable northern river." The river flows into Eldgjá, or the "canyon of fire." #
© Andro Loria. All rights reserved. -
-
Hungry Fox. Finalist, Natural World. I was in Wapusk National Park, in Canada, looking for polar bear cubs. One morning, while driving to the bears' denning area, we noticed this Arctic fox, very far away, heading in our direction across a frozen lake and carrying something huge and red in its mouth. When it got closer, my guide explained to me that Arctic foxes are scavengers and often steal parts of wolves' kills, in this case a big piece of caribou. #
© Patrizia Ricci. All rights reserved. -
Carrying. Finalist, People. Young boys in Trapani, Italy, assist in carrying heavy floats bearing sculptures that depict scenes from the Passion of Christ during the day-long Misteri di Trapani procession on Good Friday. #
© Willem Kuijpers. All rights reserved. -
-
The Painful Aftermath. Finalist, American Experience. A little over a month after fires ripped through Santa Rosa, California, in 2017, the long and painful process of rebuilding began. Many people didn't survive the horrendous fires in Northern California, and thousands lost their homes. #
© Jassen Todorov. All rights reserved. -
Guardian Angel. Finalist, American Experience. On her father's farm in Bushnell, Nebraska, a young woman watches over a newborn calf that had a difficult delivery. The way she cradled his head with her hands was so tender and gentle. It was obvious it came from a place of love. #
© Cerrina Smith. All rights reserved. -
-
-
Road to Ruin. Finalist, Travel. Homs, Syria, in January 2017. Large parts of the city were completely destroyed. Nevertheless, some residents came back to try to rebuild their homes. Roadblocks from vehicle wrecks were built. #
© Christian Werner. All rights reserved. -
Solar Portrait in Love. Finalist, People. Faustina Flores Carranza (66), and her husband, Juan Astudillo Jesus (63), sit in their solar-lit home in San Luis Acatlán, Guerrero, Mexico. Faustina and Juan have seven children and have been together for 48 years. Like many members of the Mixteca indigenous community, they have never had access to electricity. When asked how having solar light has affected their life, Faustina said, "For the first time, we are able to look at each other in the eyes in our moments of intimacy." #
© Ruben Escudero. All rights reserved.
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.