WASHINGTON (Jan. 7, 2013)—A stunning photograph of a tigress shaking herself dry has captured the grand prize of the 2012 National Geographic Photography Contest. The photographer of the image titled “The Explosion!” is Ashley Vincent of Chonburi, Thailand. He has won $10,000 (USD) and a trip to National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C., to participate in the annual National Geographic Photography Seminar this month.
“The subject’s name is Busaba, a well-cared-for Indochinese tigress, whose home is at Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Thailand. I had taken many portraits of Busaba previously, and it was becoming more and more difficult to come up with an image that appeared any different to the others,” said Vincent. “The opportunity finally presented itself while watching Busaba enjoying her private pool, then shaking herself dry. In all humility, I have to say that Mother Nature smiled favorably on me that day!”
Nenad Saljic of Split, Croatia, placed first in the Places category for the image “The Matterhorn.” Micah Albert of Fair Oaks, Calif., placed first in the People category for his image “Amongst the Scavengers,” and Vincent’s “The Explosion!” took first place in the Nature category. The three winning images will be published in National Geographic magazine.
“The caliber of entries in the National Geographic Photo Contest continues to amaze me every year,” said Ken Geiger, National Geographic magazine’s deputy director of photography. “The sheer amount of entries shows how important and accessible digital photography has become, allowing photographers worldwide to share their vision and experiences.”
The annual photo contest attracted more than 22,000 images from 150 countries. Contestants submitted photographs in three categories: People, Places and Nature. Judging consisted of two rounds of evaluation based on creativity, photography quality and genuineness/authenticity of the content. The three winning photographs along with eight honorable mentions and three viewers’ choice winners can be viewed at www.ngphotocontest.com.
About National Geographic Magazine
National Geographic magazine has a long tradition of combining on-the-ground reporting with award-winning photography to inform people about life on our planet. It has won 12 National Magazine Awards in the past five years: for Best Tablet Edition in 2012; Magazine of the Year and Single-Topic Issue in 2011; for General Excellence, Photojournalism and Essays, plus two Digital Media Awards for Best Photography and Best Community, in 2010; for Photojournalism in 2009; and for General Excellence, Photojournalism and Reporting in 2008. The magazine is the official journal of the National Geographic Society, one of the world’s largest nonprofit education and scientific organizations. Published in English and 37 local-language editions, the magazine has a global circulation of around 8 million. It is sent each month to National Geographic members and is available on newsstands for $5.99 a copy. Single copies can be ordered by calling (800) NGS-LINE, also the number to call for membership to the Society.
###