user: News article: National Geographic 2015 Photo Contest

Every year photographers from around the globe share photographs that transport us to another place, connect with us emotionally or stir us to action. Pictured here are the 2015 <a href="http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/contest-2015/" target="external">National Geographic photography contest winners</a> and their comments about their images. "Jaw-dropping, rare anti-cyclonic tornado tracks in open farm land narrowly missing a home near Simla, Colo." - <a href="http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/profile/1029774/" target="external">James Smart</a>

James Smart/National Geographic 2015 Photo Contest

"I decided to include phosphogypsum ponds located in the marshes of red and whose radioactive discharges have destroyed part of the marsh. As an environmental photojournalist, I had to tell this story and report it but had to do with an image that by itself to attract attention of the viewer. I discovered this on a low-flying training that caught my attention for its resemblance to the impact of an asteroid on its green waters in Cardenas, Andalusia, Spain." - <a href="http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/profile/439190/" target="external">Francisco Mingorance</a>

Francisco Mingorance/National Geographic 2015 Photo Contest

"Bwengye lives in a slum called Kamwokya in Kampala, Uganda's capital city. He cherishes his bicycle more than anything else. He brings it to this playground in the slum every evening where he watches kids playing soccer." - <a href="http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/profile/1172406/" target="external">Joel Nsadha</a>

Joel Nsadha/National Geographic 2015 Photo Contest

"There are many hundreds of thousands of crosses. The Hill of Crosses has represented the peaceful resistance of Lithuanian Catholicism to oppression in Siauliai, Siauliu Apskritis, Lithuania. Standing upon a small hill is the place where many spirits of the dead live. When I visited this place, a girl in the pink dress ran through as if she brought the peace, hope, love." - <a href="http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/profile/694061/" target="external">Hideki Mizuta</a>

Hideki Mizuta/National Geographic 2015 Photo Contest

"This photo was taken during Chinese New Year's Eve of 2015 in Taiwan. While paying respects to our ancestors, I noticed how the light was coming into the room and saw the passing of incense sticks to each of our family members after sending our prayers. The photo is symbolic since the passing of incense sticks resembles the knowledge and wisdom passed down from generation to generation." - <a href="http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/profile/859586/" target="external">Jackson Hung</a>

Jackson Hung/National Geographic 2015 Photo Contest

"There are relics left along the Iran-Iraq boarders in Shalamcheh, Khuzestan, Iran. A group of Iranian female students play around an abandoned tank. Among them, one girl stands on the tank with her arms open." - <a href="http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/profile/977245/" target="external">Yanan Li</a>

Yanan Li/National Geographic 2015 Photo Contest

"I was taking pictures of some orangutans in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia and then it started to rain. Just before I put my camera away, I saw this orangutan take a taro leaf and put it on top on his head to protect himself from the rain! I immediately used my DSLR and telephoto lens to preserve this spontaneous magic moment." - <a href="http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/profile/988969/" target="external">Andrew Suryono</a>

Andrew Suryono/National Geographic 2015 Photo Contest

"In Masai Mara, Rift Valley, Kenya, the cubs of the famous cheetah called Malaika became young enough to start hunting. They moved from one hill to another scanning the lands. Here, they seemed to change shifts as one cheetah leaves the hill while the other takes her place." - <a href="http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/profile/1020519/" target="external">Mohammed Yousef</a>

Mohammed Yousef/National Geographic 2015 Photo Contest

"White-fronted Bee-eaters getting together on a bough before going to sleep to their burrows, scraped into a sand wall in Mkuze, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. I was working on this theme for 18 days, as there were only 5-10 minutes a day, when the light conditions were appropriate, 90% of my trying did not succeed. When in the right angle, the backlight generated rainbow coloring through the wings of the flying birds." - <a href="http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/profile/1049297/" target="external">Bence Mate</a>

Bence Mate/National Geographic 2015 Photo Contest

"A flock of Alpine choughs (Pyrrhocorax graculus), mountain-dwelling birds, performs acrobatic displays in the air. I was able, during a windy day, to immortalize their impressive flight skills." - <a href="http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/profile/1156489/" target="external">Alessandra Meniconzi</a>

Alessandra Meniconzi/National Geographic 2015 Photo Contest

"In the countryside of Douliu, Taiwan, the funerals are usually accompanied by local chapels. When a family member dies, their body is kept in the house, or in a tent built specifically for this purpose. After a set period of time, the deceased, accompanied by a funeral procession is buried." - <a href="http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/profile/1175590/" target="external">Lars Hubner</a>

Lars Hubner/National Geographic 2015 Photo Contest

"The game (Altinho) in Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro." - <a href="http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/profile/1183124/" target="external">Simone Monte</a>

Simone Monte/National Geographic 2015 Photo Contest

"As the largest mountain ranges in Central Asia, Tian-shan ('sky-mountain' in Chinese), has one of the best collections of natural landscapes in the world and is seen by many as a paradise for outdoor adventures. Thanks to the richness of sediments compounded with the power of erosion by rivers flowing down the mountains, the north face of Tian-shan is carved into stunning plateaus and colorful canyons hundreds of meters deep, resulting in this surrealist painting in nature." - <a href="http://yourshot.nationalgeographic.com/profile/1126129/" target="external">Tugo Cheng</a>

Tugo Cheng/National Geographic 2015 Photo Contest
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assistant: Pictured here are the National Geographic photography contest winners.