PHOTO JONATHAN FLEUCHAUS
SECOND PLACE
Jonathan Fleuchaus, Alexandria
In April, I visited Vancouver Island, British Columbia. For most of my trip, I stayed near the Fairy Lake Recreation Site, which features a dwarf fir tree growing on a trunk half submerged in a small lake (the “Fairy Tree”). I had the opportunity to photograph it many times, in all sorts of conditions and at different times of day. This photo is the one I liked the most.
PHOTO MICHAEL WARREN
THIRD PLACE
Mike Warren, Leavenworth, Washington
In February, I traveled to Brazil during Carnival, a celebration of Brazilian cultures and traditions that takes place each year before Lent. In Rio de Janeiro, Carnival is a time of many celebrations, but none as big as the parades of the samba schools in the Sambadrome. Decorated floats and costumed dancers parade in front of 100,000 people each night. Here I photographed some of the intricate costumes of the dancers from one of the samba schools that parade.
PHOTO JUDE GOERGEN
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Jude Goergen, Chicago
Cambodia is my favorite place in the world. The people, the sights, the sounds, the smells—an inexplicable fusion of beauty and chaos. It’s one of the most photogenic places I’ve ever visited, especially during the golden hour. I was lucky enough to snap this quick pose during rush hour, exposing the long shadow of a single coconut cart rolling into the sunset on 278 Street in the capital city of Phnom Penh.
PHOTO KATERYNA TOPOL
Kateryna Topol, Toronto
I have always found beach people fascinating; their quiet comfort seems so peaceful. This spot on the Amalfi Coast in Italy was particularly interesting with its brightly colored umbrellas neatly lined up. I must have taken a hundred photos from different angles, but this one is my favorite.
PHOTO CYNTHIA DOMMISSE
Cynthia Dommisse, Annapolis
While traveling in Queensland, Australia, my husband and I were walking past this tree on a trail in the Daintree Rainforest when our guide suddenly stopped and drew our attention to these two spiny rainforest katydids (Phricta spinosa), each about 14″ long. They were so well camouflaged that it took us a while to see them on the lichen-covered tree trunk. We were told it was rare to see two at the same time, and we felt very lucky to see and photograph them.
PHOTO BRADEN PARSONS
Braden Parsons, Round Hill, Virginia
I was about 4,000 feet up on Grouse Mountain in British Columbia and a cloud had settled over the bear sanctuary, giving it a sense of transcendence. I was impressed by how the bears ignored the people around them and continued to do whatever they wanted, wandering around the sanctuary and playing with each other. I love this photo because even though it looks scary, in reality the bear, named Coola, was just yawning and went for a nap after this photo.
PHOTO JOHN BALTHIS
John Balthis, Falls Church
On our 14-day family trip to Africa, including South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania, we spent a week on safari in the Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater. On our second day in the Serengeti, we took a hot air balloon ride over the grasslands at sunrise. The zebras in the early morning light made for some of my favorite images. It’s a great way to see and appreciate the unique vastness and beauty of the park.
PHOTO LILIANE BLOOM
Liliane Blom, Rockville
I was visiting an artist and fashion designer friend in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and we went to Kariakoo Market with a group of friends. There were endless fabric stalls, stacked from floor to ceiling. As we were leaving the labyrinthine market, we came across this woman carrying and selling pineapples to shoppers, weaving her way through the crowd. I was taking pictures as I ran with my fabric to catch up with the group.
PHOTO DAVID FOURNEY
David Fourney, Gaithersburg, Maryland
We visited the Bean (Cloud Gate) in Chicago, and I had a lot of fun taking lots of pictures from different angles. There were also many tourists present and they were part of all our pictures. Chicago was one of the stops on our five-week trip across the United States.
PHOTO JILL DIETRICK
Jill Dietrick, Alexandria
This photo was taken on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to see emperor penguins in Antarctica. The weather was beautiful, the penguins were adorable, and the scenery was breathtaking. I loved the contrast between the penguin and the humans, both in size and color.
PHOTO GARY ZIESES
Gary Zieses, La Quinta, California
I was scuba diving in Cozumel, Mexico when I rounded the corner of the reef about 45 feet out and saw a very large blue angelfish. They normally don’t face you, but instead turn to the side. I was lucky enough to be ready to photograph when we came face to face.
PHOTO LAURA SCHONFELD
Laura Schonfeld, Silver Spring
On a trip to Iceland in late winter, our guide took us to the Katla Ice Caves. The experience was amazing, and this photo is one of the most magical. Seeing a tunnel that melted into an iceberg as big as a building, but completely natural, was incredible. The colors and textures were amazing, and I’m glad I was able to take one of my fellow tourists in front to show the scale.
PHOTO JOHN TAYLOR
John Taylor, Annapolis
We were walking in the Alice Springs Desert Park in the Australian outback in August 2023 when we saw this creature that looks like a lizard but looks more like a tiny dinosaur (about 15 cm long). It goes by several names: crested lizard, thorny devil, thorny dragon and moloch. The Latin name is Moloch horridusThe lizard also has a false head on the back of its neck which it shows to its predators by lowering its real head.
PHOTO MATTHEW WEINSTEIN
Matthew Weinstein, Arlington
We arrived in Istanbul a few hours before I took this photo. We had a drink at a hotel, from where we had a fantastic view of the incomparable Hagia Sophia. I took this photo as the sun was setting and three seagulls were flying over three of the Hagia Sophia’s minarets. A timing lucky.