Every year thousands of photographers submit their best work to the Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest. The pictures all fall under one of the following categories: the natural world, travel, people, Americana, or altered images. Both the editors and the readers then select who they think is the winner of each category. The photos you are about to see are all finalists in this year’s competition and certainly worthy of that honor. These are the 25 best photos from the 2013 Smithsonian Magazine Contest.
25
Monks Releasing Lanterns During Loy Krathong in Chiang Mai, Thailand
24
A Visit to Bagan, Myanmar
23
An Onlooker Witnesses the Annular Solar Eclipse as the Sun Sets on May 20, 2012
22
Musicians Arriving at the Bullring
21
Guardians of the Forest
20
The Last Pollen Spore Preparing to Leave a Ladybug Trying to Hold On, Because It Didn’t Want to Be Alone
19
Mummy, I Am Down Here, and Hungry!
18
Ants Holding Seeds
17
Rice Terraces Close to Harvest Season
16
Alternating Rice Plots in the Bacson Valley
15
A Man-Made Ice Geyser
14
River Ferry Operating in the Early Morning in Xiao Donjiang, China
13
People Harvesting Salt at Sunset
12
The Milky Way Galaxy Exploding from Mount Rainier
11
Lone Acacia, Sossusvlei Sand Dunes
10
A Lone Hiker Viewed the Path Before Him as the Milky Way Rose in the Night Sky
9
Apple Guy on Location in the Desert
8
Christine, 20-years-old, with Her First Child a Few Months Old
7
Grandpa’s Helper
6
A Whimsical House Set in the Burning Clouds of a Fiery Sunset
5
Twisted
4
Blues in the Streets of Chicago
3
Annual Bucking Horse Sale in Miles City, Montana
2
Grey Smoke Hair
1