2015 National Geographic photo contest winners
Australian photographer James Smart's photo, titled "Dirt" is the grand prize winner of the 2015 National Geographic Photo Contest, selected from more than 13,000 entries. The grand prize winner is chosen among the first place winners in each category -- People, Places and Nature. Smart's photo was also a winner in the Nature category.
In the spring, Smart spent 15 days chasing storms with his brother and some friends who are meteorologists. On the last day, Smart ended up outside of Simla, Colorado, where he shot this winning photo of a tornado.
"Driving down a Colorado dirt road, we were lucky enough to be on the west of it, so it was front lit," Smart said. "This really helped to get great detail out of the image and the perfect light for the sky and foreground."
Here is a look at the other winning photos and honorable mentions.
Winner in Places category
"Asteroid" - José Mingorance (Andalusia, Spain)
A marsh in Spain that has been partially destroyed by radioactive waste.
Winner in People category
"At the Playground" - Joel Nsadha (Binghamton, New York)
A portrait of a young man who lives in a slum in Kampala, Uganda and cherishes his bicycle more than anything else.
Honorable Mention: Nature
"Orangutan in the Rain" - Andrew Suryono
An orangutan protects itself from the rain with a taro leaf in Bali.
Honorable Mention: Nature
"Changing Shifts" - Mohammed Yousef
Young cubs of Malaika, a famous cheetah in Masai Mara, Kenya learn to hunt. The cheetahs seem to "change shifts" as one leaves the hill while another takes its place.
Honorable Mention: Nature
"Colorful Chaos" - Bence Mate
White-fronted bee-eaters in Mkuze, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa get together on a bough before going to their sleep in their burrows.
Honorable Mention: Nature
"Surrealist painting in nature"- Tugo Cheng
As the largest mountain ranges in Central Asia, Tian-shan -- sky mountain in Chinese -- has one of the best collections of natural landscapes in the world and is seen by many as a paradise for outdoor adventures.
Honorable Mention: Nature
"Acrobat of the Air" - Alessandra Meniconzi
A flock of Alpine choughs, mountain-dwelling birds, perform acrobatic displays in the air in Switzerland.
Honorable Mention: Places
"Hill of Crosses" - Hideki Mizuta
A girl running through a hill made of hundreds of thousands of crosses in Siauliai, Lithuania, believed to be home to many spirits of the dead.
Honorable Mention: Places
"The Game" - Simone Monte
Beachgoers kick around soccer balls on Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro.
Honorable Mention: Places
"From Generation to Generation" - Jackson Hung
The passing of incense sticks among family members on Chinese New Year's Eve in Taiwan, symbolic of knowledge and wisdom passed down from generation to generation.
Honorable Mention: People, Places
"Nothing to Declare" - Lars Hübner
In the countryside in Douliu, Taiwan, when a family member dies, their body is kept in the house or in a tent for a period of time, then given a funeral procession before burial.
Honorable Mention: People
"Prospect" - Yanan Li
A group of Iranian women gathered around an abandoned tank on the Iran-Iraq border. One woman stands on top of the tank with her arms open, as though she is calling for peaceful co-existence in the Middle East.
To read more on the competion: 2015 National Geographic Photo Contest