These Spectacular Pics Are The Winners Of NatGeo's Photo Contest

National Geographic recently declared the winners for their 'Nature Photographer of the Year' contest and the pictures are beyond stunning.

For this year's competition, participants could enter their photographs in four categories - Landscape, Action, Animal Portraits, and Environmental Issues. Out of the thousands of entries, only a select few pictures made the cut. Along with a cash award, the grand prize includes a 10-days trip to Galapagos Islands in Ecuador with National Geographic Expeditions.

The big winner this year is a picture titled 'Sardine Run' and has been captured by G Lecoeur.

The caption submitted by the photographer reads: "I captured this image during the migration of the sardines along the wild coast of South Africa. Natural predation, sardines are preyed upon by cape gannet birds and common dolphins. The hunt begins with common dolphins that have developed special hunting techniques. With remarkable eyesight, the gannets follow the dolphins before diving in a free fall from 30 to 40 meters high, piercing the surface of the water head first at a speed of 80km/h to get their fill of sardines."
 
Among the other big winners is Coimbatore-based photographer Varun Aditya, whose photo 'Dragging You Deep Into The Woods!' captured in Amboli, Maharashtra, won first place in the Animal Portraits category.

The caption submitted by him reads: "A morning stroll into the blissful forest! Ceaseless drizzles dampening the woods for 12 hours a day; The serene gloom which kept me guessing if it was a night or a day. Heavy fog, chilling breeze and the perennial silence could calm roaring sprits; And there I spotted this 20cm beauty the Green Vine Snake. I wondered if i needed more reasons to capture this with the habitat; For I was blessed to see this at the place I was at. I immediately switched from the macro to the wide angle lens."
 
Other breathtaking shots include:

'Pacific Storm,' described by its photographer as: "A colossal Cumulonimbus flashes over the Pacific Ocean as we circle around it at 37000 feet en route to South America." The picture won third place in the Landscape category.
 
'Jellyfish Feast' - "Green turtles devour the soft tentacles of a jellyfish which are a common food source for many turtles." The picture was taken in Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia. The photo won 'honourable mention' in the Action category.
 
'No Snow, No Ice?' - "A solitary bear sits on the edge of one of the Barter Islands. There is no snow, when at this time of year, there should be. In speaking with the locals in Kaktovic, they've noted that it's been an unseasonably warm winter, and that the ice will be late in forming this year. This will have an impact on the local polar bear population, when it comes time to hunt seals for their food in the winter months." The picture won 'honourable mention' in the Environmental Issues category.
 
You can check out all the winners of the contest by clicking here.

Do tell us which photograph is your favourite in the comments section below.