Nat Geo Traveler Photo Contest winners unveiled

The winners of the prestigious National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest were announced this week, with images depicting incredible wildlife, exotic beaches, vibrant deserts and more.
Winner of the grand prize this year, Anuar Patjane Floriuk, took his photo while diving with humpback whales around Roca Partida in the Revillagigedo Islands in Mexico.
The awe-inspiring image captures the sheer size of the ocean and the whale, one of its most beautiful creatures.
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Surrounding it, tiny divers pale in comparison and help put our place on earth in perspective.
“This is an outstanding and unique place full of pelagic life,” said the winner.
“So we need to accelerate the incorporation of the islands into UNESCO as [a] natural heritage site in order to increase the protection of the islands against the prevailing illegal fishing corporations and big-game fishing.”
Floriuk won an eight-day National Geographic photo expedition to Costa Rica and the Panama Canal to help fulfil his potential.
Second place went to Faisal Azim for his photo Gravel Workmen.
“[This] gravel-crush working place remains full of dust and sand,” said Azim of his hyper-colourful close-up of three Bangladeshi men.
“Three gravel workmen are looking through the window glass at their working place.”
A special mention went to the dream-like Romania, Land of Fairytales by Eduard Getescu, whose take on the frost-covered Pestera village was reminiscent of the crystal gardens you may have grown up with as a child.
More than 17,000 pictures were entered in the competition, the best of which are posted below.