More than 20,000 photographs were submitted to National Geographic from more than 130 countries. A prestigious contest that any photographer would love to win. National Geographic has finally unveiled the winning photographs that are categorized into: people, places and nature.

The grand-prize winner is Indonesia's Shikhei Goh, who took the photo of a dragonfly in the rain (image on the left).

Not only will he receive $10,000 and a trip to National Geographic's headquarters in Washington D.C. but will also get an opportunity to participate in Nat Geo's Photography Seminar and most importantly, his photograph will be published in Nat Geo's magazine. Have a look at other winning photographs below:


Places

'INTO THE GREEN ZONE' by George Tapan (Winner). A beautiful rainbow over Onuk island of Philippines after a rainstorm. "Showed a perfect sense of timing and composition in the way he captured the two small human subjects in this beautiful scene, and that really made the shot," noted judge Tim Laman.

SULFURIC FIRE FESTIVAL by Hung-Hsiu Shih (Honorable Mention) Once a year, Formosa fishermen’s unique sulfuric fire fishing ritual handed down from generation to generation.

FLYING KITES by Felipe Carvalho (Honorable Mention) Kite battle at Santa Marta ghetto, Rio de Janeiro. For many years, the kites were used to alert the drug dealers when their enemies were coming. The place were a “war zone” controlled by traffikers that were in constant conflits against each other to control the drug market. Fews years ago, Santa Marta was occupied by the Pacifier Police Division that released the population from the traffic domination.

CYBER MONSOON by Anuar Patjane (Honorable Mention) A torrential monsoon rain in Bhaktapur, Nepal.

WATERWAY TO ORBIT by James Vernacotola. Space Shuttle Endeavour STS-130 launches into orbit toward the east, as the stars and waning crescent moon trail toward the west, leaving a beautiful reflection on the Intracoastal Waterway in Ponte Vedra, Florida. This 132-second time exposure of the final night launch of a Space Shuttle, from launch through SRB separation, was taken 115 miles north of Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center.

KRISHNA TEMPLE by Alejandra Loreto (Viewer's Choice Places Winner) Krishna Temple is one of Hampi's notable Hindu temples. This photo shows the most beautiful architectural piece of Hampi and how people just feel in it. It is a place of calm and equilibrium, an escape.

People

THE FJELLMAN FAMILY by Izabelle Nordfjell (Winner) With a single shot, a Sami reindeer hunter secures food for his family during the long Swedish winter.  "In the Sami culture, these events are repeated many times every year, even though they are never quite the same. However, by using a careful composition and skillful timing, the photographer made this one encounter with a Sami hunter memorable." judge Peter Essick

ZOMBIES by Lisa Clarke (Honorable Mention) A young family dressed as zombies in Brisbane, Queensland. Each year around Halloween time a gathering of people dressed as zombies walk through the city in an effort to raise money for the Brain Foundation of Australia.

AUBURN PRIDE by George Voulgaropoulos (Honorable Mention) Young men driving into a patch of reflected light along Auburn Rd. Part of a larger personal project documenting the western Sydney suburb of Auburn. The series provides a glimpse into the life of the next generation of Australians living in Auburn, peering behind the veil of this little-known side of society. Auburn is a small suburb in Sydney’s west, a landing point for many migrants and refugees when they first arrive in Australia.

FROM UP HERE by Helen Pearson (Honorable Mention) Stephen "ST 2 Lettaz" Harris, and David "Yung Clova" Williams make up the Huntsville rap duo G-Side. I took this photo of them on tour, conducting a cell phone interview with a journalist on a fire escape in Manhattan. The photo speaks to the "D.I.Y." nature of the current independent music scene. Digital technology has played a big role in G-Side's business strategy, enabling them to use the Internet and viral word of mouth to build a diverse international fan base.

LAST SUPPER by Alessandro Citti (Viewer's Choice People Winner) Maybe women weren't at the Last Supper, but they are certainly going to be at the next one.

Nature

SPLASHING by Shikhei Goh (Grand Prize Winner & Nature Winner) Arrows of rain seem to pelt a dragonfly in Indonesia's Riau Islands in Shikhei Goh's winning image, "Splashing." A sudden rainstorm left Goh with a tough decision: Get his camera wet, or take advantage of the "superb lighting," he wrote with his submission to the 2011 National Geographic Photography Contest. "You can almost feel the dragonfly's experience of bracing itself against the weather," said judge Amy Toensing. "When I look at it, I want to say, Hold on tight little buddy!"

BLUE POND & FIRST SNOW by Kent Shiraishi (Honorable Mention) This is a place where many tourists gather in spring, summer, and autumn. However, since this pond freezes in winter, nobody is during that period. This photograph is the moment first snow of the season is falling in that blue pond. We can see first snow of the season from the end of October. Why is blue? This is because the underground hot spring ingredient is gushing. This blue pond changes a color every day. I think that mystical blue and pure white snow are beautiful. All are nature's tints.

SUNRISING JELLYFISH by Angel Fitor (Honorable Mention) Jellyfish Cotylorhiza tuberculata drifting just beneath the surface looking for capturing the first sunrays to trigger their symbiotic algae to produce energy for it.

PANIC IN THE PAN by Marius Coetzee (Honorable Mention) I was leading a photographic safari in Tanzania's, Serengeti National Park. It was midday and we came across a dazzle of zebra approaching a waterhole the quench their thirst. Every few minutes the zebras will enter the water to drink, just to panic and scatter out of the water again.

THE HUNT by Stefano Pesarelli (Honorable Mention) I personally believe that, beyond the formal representation of reality, mediated by the technical instruments necessary to fix an image in time, photography is made of insights. The shot is the last act of image capturing and in many ways the easiest part of the whole process. This panning effect, even in its imperfection, with the chromatic harmony of the background, with all the needless information eliminated and the luck of having the big cat’s lifted tail in symmetry with the impala horns, brings the observer inside the hunting without distractions.

HAPPY BELUGAS by Dafna Ben Nun (Viewers' Choice Nature Winner) Beluga whales in the arctic having fun.

So which of these images did you like the most? Do share with us in the comment section below.

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