Winners of National Geographic Competition Capture Most Stunning Images of Nature

Out of this world: Winners of National Geographic competition capture stunning images of nature at its most beautiful

National Geographic announced their 2011 global-wide photography contest awarding not only a warm financial prize to its three winners but world-wide publication in their magazine.

The winners were taken from digital submissions on three categories of people, places and nature while judged by three National Geographic photographers.

The judges gave equal weight to both creativity and photographic quality when the deciding the winners, including the grand prize, first place winner to a photo of a dragonfly.

Winner: Splashing, the grand prize winning photo as well as Nature category winner, was taken in the city of Batam in Indonesia's Riau Islands

The water flinging dragonfly photo titled Splashing, was captured by Shikhei Goh, a photographer in Indonesia's Riau Islands while they were both caught in a sudden downpour.

It was described as a 'very striking macrophotography image that rose to the top of the nature category for me because of its originality, beautiful light, rare action in a close-up image, as well as its technical perfection,' according to judge Tim Laman to the National Geographic.

According to judge Peter Essick, he said that the photograph gave the insect 'character us humans can relate to.'

'It's rare indeed to see a photograph that causes the viewer to feel a bond with a member of the animal world seemingly,' Mr Essick told the magazine, 'but maybe not, so unlike our own.'

Glowing: Blue Pond & First Snow, by Kent Shiraishi, captured a famous tourist resort in Japan for the nature category's honorable mention as the hot spring ripples below white-frosted trees

Floating: The Sunrising Jellyfish, by Angel Fitor, received honorable mention in nature as it's caught just beneath the water's surface in Murcia province, Spain

Running: Photo, Panic in the Pan, by Marius Coetzee was taken during a safari in Tanzania's Serengeti National Park at a watering hole

Chase: Photo, The Hunt, by Stefano Pesarelli received honorable mention for its natural use of panning and balance in its capture of a scene at the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya

In the places category, a photo titled Into the Green Zone won for its capture of a rainbow bending over a smooth ocean at the Philippines' Onuk Island.

According to Mr Laman, the photographer George Tapan 'showed a perfect sense of timing and composition in the way he captured the two small human subjects in this beautiful scene, and that really made the shot.'

Mr Essick noted his captivation of the woman's hair over her shoulder as it, 'fills a fraction of the picture's real estate, but by capturing the movement at the apex, the photographer has documented a sense of style and flair.

'Small things can sometimes make a big difference,' he finished.

Winner: Into the Green Zone, by George Tapan, captured a rainbow after the rain at the Palawan Islands in the Philippines, winning the category of Places

Jumping: Photo, Sulfuric Fire Festival, by Hung-Hsiu Shih received honorable mention for its capture of fire fishing in Taipei

Flying: Flying Kites, by Felipe Carvalho, received honorable mention for its capture of a kite battle at the Santa Marta ghetto in Rio de Janeiro which for many years were used to alert drug dealers of approaching enemies

Falling: Anuar Patjane's Cyber Monsoon received honorable mention for its capture of a torrential monsoon rain in Bhaktapur, Nepal

Soaring: Waterway to Orbit, by James Vernacotola, displays the Space shuttle Endeavour flying into orbit over the Intracoastal Waterway in Ponte Vedra, Florida

For the category of People, a photo titled The Fjellman Family by Izabelle Nordfjell captures a Swedish reindeer hunter seeking food for his family using a rifle.

According to judge Amy Toensing, the photo captured a quick moment 'real and mysterious at the same time.'

'In the Sami culture,' Mr Essick added, referring to the hunter, 'these events are repeated many times every year, even though they are never quite the same. However, by using a careful composition and skillful timing, the photographer made this one encounter with a Sami hunter memorable.'

Winner: People category winner titled The Fjellman Family, by Izabelle Nordfjell, describes in one shot, literally and physically, one method of feeding a family in northern Sweden before a long winter

Dressed up: Photo titled Zombies, by Lisa Clarke, shows a young family dressed as zombies in Brisbane, Queensland around Halloween, receiving honorable mention for the People category

Driving: The photo titled Auburn Pride, by George Voulgaropoulos, shows young men driving along Auburn Road in a small suburb in Australia that's described as a common landing point for migrants

Posing: From Up Here, by Helen Pearson, shows the Huntsville rap duo G-Side on a fire escape in Manhattan which shows today's independent music scene according to the caption

The grand prize winner of the National Geographic contest, Shikhei Goh for his photo titled Splashing, wins $10,000 in addition to a paid trip to Washington D.C. to attend a photography seminar and tour of their building.

His photo will also appear in the National Geographic magazine.

The first place winners in each of the other categories, People and Places, receives $2,500 along with their photo published in the magazine.