The 2014 National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest has begun. Photographers from around the world can submit their photos in the four categories: Travel Portraits, Outdoor Scenes, Sense of Place and Spontaneous Moments. The grand prize winner will receive a National Geographic Expedition to Alaska. The deadline is Monday, June 30, at 12 p.m. EDT. Here is a selection of photos from the early entries.
1. "Duomo of Milan from Novecento Modern Art Museum" Patrons of Milan's Novecento Modern Art Museum admiring the city's Gothic cathedral. Taken with an iPhone. (Photo and caption by Kathryn Schipper / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest) #
2."Epiphany" One of my dreams was it to shoot the night sky when I went on holiday to New Zealand this February. Unfortunately the time was not perfect because of the moon, which was at the beginning nearly the whole night at the sky and also the weather made me change plans. At the end of my trip I had luck an get a clear sky after the sunset although the whole day was very cloudy. I decided to drive to the famous little church in Tekapo and took some shots of the night sky before the moon rose. (Photo and caption by Sebastian Warneke / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)
3."Explosion" Japanese feel the coming of spring I feel by plum blossoms. There is a culture of the cherry blossoms in spring in Japan. It is said was said implication to appreciate the cherry tree is strong now, but to mean plum Speaking of flowers in the Nara period of approximately 1300 before. This was a plum grove sight light goes pointing gradually early in the morning is beautiful too, such as that explosion is like spring. (Photo and caption by Hideyuki Katagiri / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest
4."Forest lights" Aurora Borealis over the forest of the Pyhae Luosto National Park, Finland. (Photo and caption by Nicholas Roemmelt / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest
5."Iceberg Gallery" Like a scene from a different time on earth, or a completely different planet altogether. Passed down through Jökulsárlón lagoon through an outlet of the Vatnajökull Glacier, Icebergs enter into the North Atlantic. Shaped and polished by the ocean, the tide leaves a magnificent gallery of huge iceberg sculptures on the volcanic black beaches of Iceland. Photographed here at sunset, just after a rain storm. For scale, this Iceberg is about the size of a Jeep. (Photo and caption by Sam Morris / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest
6. "LightSource" Young Monk finds a perfect light source to read his book inside of his pagoda - Old Bagan, Burma (Photo and caption by Marcelo Castro / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)
7."Mirrow Wave" The Wave after a heavy thunderstorm with a small pond granting a perfect mirror for the reflection of the hiker. A calm and solemn place at a perfect day. (Photo and caption by Nicholas Roemmelt / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest
8."Peek a Boo" Photographing wildlife in Florida is never the easiest task. One of the differences from photographing wildlife in other states has to be the abundance of biting bugs, ticks, deadly snakes and extreme heat and humidity. After bushwhacking my way through the brush, mud and water I was able to set up my gear, and still giving a good safe distance between myself and the nest. The nest appeared empty at first, but after a few minutes I started to see some movement. A pair of beautiful white miniature horns were the first to rise above the twigs before I seen this pair of beautiful Owlet eyes. (Photo and caption by Graham McGeorge / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)
9."Typical red rorbu huts Reine – Lofoten" Typical red rorbu huts with sod roof in town of Reine on Lofoten. (Photo and caption by Sausse David / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)
10. "Winter Cave" One of the local ice guide guys arriving at a remote ice cave in southeast Iceland. (Photo and caption by Marcelo Castro / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)