This year, the Annual Smithsonian.com Photo Contest received 48,000 submissions from photographers in 155 countries. Here are 15 of the 60 finalists in the six categories: Natural World, The American Experience, Travel, People, Altered Images, and Mobile.
You can vote for the Reader's Choice winner until March 26, and check out last year's finalists here.
"Making Incense" by Tran Tuan Viet
"Decoratively dyed bundles of incense dry in Quang Phu Cau, a commune in Hanoi, Vietnam. In Buddhist countries like Vietnam, incense is an irreplaceable part of traditional festivals and religious ceremonies."
"Sardines in the Sun" by Giacomo Marchione
"Sardines emerge from a coral wall in cobalt waters just a few yards from the shores of Cebu Island in the Philippines. They move in a single undulating cloud of silver that twists, turns, shrinks, expands and wraps itself around any object that gets in its way. At times, it becomes a thundercloud, blocking out the sun or clapping violently as it suddenly flips its formation to evade a predator."
"Salt Field Workers" by Matty Karp
"These are women who work in a salt field in Vietnam. I altered the image to black and white and made the background black to emphasize the women."
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