National Geographic is currently accepting photo submissions for its annual National Geographic Photography Contest.
Over 20,000 photos by professional and amateur photographers from 130 countries competed in three categories -- people, places and nature -- last year.
The top winner will be selected among the finalists in these groups and will be awarded $10,000 among other coveted prizes.
The guidelines for entries require that photographs are un-manipulated and real, and that capture those special moments in time.The contest ends on November 30.
Nat Geo was kind enough to share with us some of its editors' favorite images that are in the running.
"Penguins adrift on iceberg during a heavy snow storm in Antarctica"
See all 2012 National Geographic Photography Contest entries here >
Photos courtesy of the 2012 National Geographic Photography Contest
"I was captured by the scenery before I got my camera out of my bag. In the foreground a soldier in his bunker and in the background a ferris wheel that looked like it had been [shot] at. The contrasting dualism in the image [struck] me before I took the picture. Square/round, adult world/child world, war/peace. Unfortunately I was arrested since I was not allowed to take photos of the military, but I managed to show them a cropped version on my camera screen, displaying only the ferris wheel."
See all 2012 National Geographic Photography Contest entries here >
Photos courtesy of the 2012 National Geographic Photography Contest
"Baby of elephant seal relaxing on the beach."
See all 2012 National Geographic Photography Contest entries here >
Photos courtesy of the 2012 National Geographic Photography Contest
See the rest of the story at Business Insider