National Geographic Photographic Competitation winning Pictures -2013

National Geographic Photographic Competitation 
winning Pictures -2013

Grand Prize and Nature Winner: The Ice Bear- A polar bear peers up from beneath the melting sea ice on Hudson Bay as the setting midnight sun glows red from the smoke of distant fires during a record-breaking spell of hot weather. The Manitoba population of polar bears, the southernmost in the world, is particularly threatened by a warming climate and reduced sea ice. (Photo and caption by Paul Souders)

Honorable Mention Nature: Indian Rhino, Canadian Winter- An Indian rhinoceros, far from home and stuck inside with late-winter blues at the Toronto zoo. (Photo and caption by Stephen De Lisle)

Honorable Mention Nature: Crows Nest- The crows that live in Tokyo use clothes hangers to make nests. In such a large city, there are few trees, so the natural materials that crows need to make their nests are scarce. As a result, the crows occasionally take hangers from the people who live in apartments nearby, and carefully assemble them into nests. The completed nests almost look like works of art based on the theme of recycling. (Photo and caption by Yosuke Kashiwakura)

Honorable Mention Nature: Flying Egrets- On a good day in the field, a birder might see flock of birds. Great Egrets; Tidal area of the Danube in Hungary. (Photo and caption by Réka Zsirmon)

Honorable Mention Places: Cows And Kites- I was driving along the beach highway when I noticed the bulls sunbathing on the empty beach. I initially thought I was seeing things, but no it really was sunbathing cows! I had to park my car a fair distance away and that meant a long walk along the beach in 35-degree heat. It did not matter because I had to get the shot! When I got closer to them I was careful not to spook them so I crawled on my stomach on the hot sand to get a good picture of them. Mission Accomplished! It was worth the effort! (Photo and caption by Andrew Lever)

Honorable Mention Places: Graveyard- I cannot describe the eerie feeling I had when I walked in on this scene. I followed a massive storm front several 100 kilometers hoping to capture something special but this blew my mind. The surreal milky green water is a natural phenomenon caused by electromagnetic activity from the lightning hitting the waters surface. There was no rain where I was and not much wind either but in the distance the sky was charged and angry subjecting its wrath over the graveyard of dead trees in this normally very dry lakebed. I was able to capture a series of unique images this being one of the best. (Photo and caption by Julie Fletcher)