The results are in! After a record number of submissions—46,000, to be exact—the winners of the 2016 National Geographic International Photography Contest for Kids have been announced. Spanning scenes of nature, cultural snapshots, and portraits of animals, the winning photos showcase all that the world has to offer—including its up-and-coming talent.
Last year, National Geographic Kids invited aspiring photographers between the ages of 6 and 14 to submit their photos that fell into these categories: Amazing Animals, Wild Vacation, Dare to Explore, and Weird But True. From these groups, a first place winner, second place winner, and runner up would be selected. To accommodate the large number of entries, the competition was divided into two—one for international participants, and one for those from the United States—resulting in double the winners!
In addition to the thematic victors, two grand prize winners were carefully picked from all 46,000 entries. From the international group, 11-year-old Dewi Baggerman from the Netherlands triumphed with a sunny and unique take on tulips. As grand prize winner, lucky Dewi will enjoy a five-day, four-night trip to Washington, D.C., complete with a well-earned tour of National Geographic headquarters. And from the American entries, 12-year-old Kate Anderson’s Owning the Stage, a silly and sweet scene featuring a front-and-center duckling, has won her a Galapagos adventure.
Check out the winning images below!
Grand Prize Winner (International)
By Dewi Baggerman, Age 11, Netherlands
(Also won 1st Place, Dare to Explore)
Grand Prize Winner (United States)
Owning the Stage
By Kate Anderson, Age 12, USA
(Also won 1st Place, Weird But True)
1st Place Winners (International)
By Maj Kastelic, Age 13, Slovenia
(Amazing Animals)
By Sanya Jain, Age 12, India
(Wild Vacation)
Pan Yinzhi, Age 13, China
(Weird But True)
1st Place Winners (United States)
Wings
By David Hopkins, Age 13, USA
(Amazing Animals)
Zip-line Adventure
By Ryan Hughes, Age 13, USA
(Wild Vacation)
Mystic Gates
By Riley Harlan, Age 12
(Dare to Explore)
2nd Place Winners (United States)
Prairie Kiss
By Frey Youssef, Age 12, USA
(Amazing Animals)
Dromedaries on Diani
By Piers Nicklin, Age 12, USA
(Wild Vacation)
Archway to Cesky Krumlov
By Alexia Saigh, Age 14, USA
(Dare to Explore)
Underwater Basketball
By Josephine Goldman, Age 13, USA
(Weird But True)
Honorable Mentions
By Jennifer Jayne Evans Koumbatis, Age 10, Netherlands
(Amazing Animals)
By Devananda Hardi, Age 7, Indonesia
(Weird But True)
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