2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year Contest

National Geographic Magazine has opened its annual photo contest for 2017, with the deadline for submissions coming up on November 17. The Grand Prize Winner will receive $10,000, publication in National Geographic Magazine and a feature on National Geographic’s Instagram account. The folks at National Geographic were, once more, kind enough to let me choose among the contest entries so far for display here. The captions below were written by the individual photographers, and lightly edited for style.

1. "Kalsoy." Kalsoy island and Kallur lighthouse in sunset light in the Faroe Islands. #
2. "Free Style Fishing." Kurile Lake, Kamchatka. #
   
3. "Sea and Salt." Spain has many impressive landscapes and fascinating destinations, but one of the most amazing natural resorts are the salty pink lakes in Torrevieja. In this beautiful coastal resort you can find two beautiful salt lakes: A blue-green one called La Mata lagoon and the other, of an impressive pink color, known as Torrevieja lagoon. Both are connected to the sea by canals. #
4. "Tongass Breach." A magical moment I shared with nature, where a humpback whale briefly allowed me into its world. Two very different species shared a natural moment with no one else around; something I will never forget as long as I live. This breach occurred in front of my kayak within the protected waters of the Tebenkof Bay and Kuiu Wilderness Areas in Alaska. Surrounded by silence, I could hear the whale calls above the surface. I will cherish and hold this moment dear. I am privileged and thankful. #
   5.A Sad Story for a Mother Giraffe." A very emotional scene of a lioness dragging a recently killed baby giraffe, only a few days old, with the mother giraffe looking on. #
5. "Face to Face in a River in Borneo." While looking for wild orangutans in Tanjung Puting National Park, Indonesia, we witnessed the amazing sight of this huge male crossing a river, despite the fact there were crocodiles in the river. Rapid growth of palm oil farming has depleted their habitat, and when pushed to the edge, these intelligent creatures have learned to adapt to the changing landscape, This is proof, considering orangutans hate water and never venture into rivers. I got five feet deep into the river to get this perspective. #