The Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest is definitely one of the most highly anticipated photo competitions every year. During this 17th annual run, the judges of the contest chose between dozens of thousands of submissions from 145 countries, and from this huge list of incredible photos, they have selected the 60 best finalists. The photos encompass a variety of moving and mesmerizing topics, and in the end, winners will be announced across each category, and an overall winner will be chosen as well. One of the awards, the People’s Choice Award, is completely up to the public eye, and you can visit the Smithsonian Magazine Website to choose your own until March 31, 2020, from the complete list of finalists. In this article, we feature 15 of these finalists, each one more gorgeous and unique than the previous.
1. 'Cave Fishing' by Natnattcha Chaturapitamorn
Category: Travel
Description: Family fishing in a cave in Vietnam.
2. 'Moraine Lake' by Timo Heinz
Category: Altered Image
Description: Moraine Lake at the Banff National Park in Canada.
3. 'Picture Perfect' by Janine Krayer
Category: Natural World
Description: A leopard resting on a branch at the Chobe National Park, Botswana.
4. 'Portrait of Endurance Athlete Anders Hofman' by Jesper Gronnemark
Category: People
Description: Portrait of an athlete before a challenging competition in Antarctica.
5. 'Dust Devil' by Jim Guerard
Category: Natural World
Description: Male elephant at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya.
6. 'Home Survives Direct Hit From Tornado' by Matt Gillespie
Category: American Experience
Description: The aftermath of a tornado in Georgia.
7. 'A Fish Seller Displays His Goods' by Jon Enoch
Category: Travel
Description: Pet fish delivery in Hanoi, Vietnam.
8. 'Nueva Venecia' by Javier Arcenillas
Category: Travel
Description: New Venice, a Colombian town built on The Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta lagoon.
9. 'Adélie Penguin on an Iceberg' by Conor Ryan
Category: Natural World
Description: An Adélie penguin standing on an iceberg in Antarctica.
10. 'Palina Boy' by Philip Am Guay
Category: Mobile
Description: A boy during All Saints’ Day celebrations in Cebu City, Philippines.
11. 'Train Through the Mountains' by Lori Kupsch
Category: Travel
Description: A train zooming through the Banff National Park.
12. 'Attendees of the Michigan State Fair Ride the Swings' by Amy Sacka
Category: American Experience
13. 'Horse Racing' by Peng Yuan
Category: Mobile
14. 'Two Whales' by Jim Guerard
Category: Travel
Description: A humpback whale near the coast of East Greenland, close to Tasiilaq.
15. 'Mother and Baby' by Tianyi Xiong
Category: Altered Image
Description: A mother baboon holding its baby.