National Geographichas announce this twelvemonth ’s winnersof their 2017 Travel Photographer of the Year rival . As ever , this year ’s entries are totally and dead breathtaking .
Out of over 15,000 entry from over 30 different rural area , the grand prize was present to a guessing of a vent erupting at Nox as a flash of lightning strikes it ( image above ) . Sergio Tapiro Velasco took his grand booty - winning photo , titled “ The Power of Nature , ” of Volcán de Colima from around 12 km ( 7.4 land mile ) out just outside the metropolis of Colima in Mexico .
Remarkably , he had no idea if he ’d really captured the perfectly - time flash of lightning until he survey his photograph after on .
“ When I looked on the camera video display , all I could do was stare , ” sound out Velasco . “ What I was watching was impossible to conceive , the image present those amazing forces of nature interacting on a vent , while the lightning brightened the whole tantrum . It ’s an impossible photo and my once in a life shot that shows the superpower of nature . ”
As the top prize achiever , he takes home $ 2,500 prize money and a 10 - day trip for two to theGalápagos ArchipelagowithNational Geographic Expeditions .
The contest this twelvemonth broke down entries into three category : Nature , citizenry , and Cities .
“ The quality of submissions in the 2017 Travel Photographer of the Year contest was toppingly eclectic , ” added point judge and senior picture taking editor at National Geographic Molly Roberts . “ I was inspired by the variety of fix and creativity of the photographers in their quest to make compelling effigy . ”
you could learn outthe full success ’ gallery herealong with a selection of the competition ’s best below . you may also see last year’sequally impressive survival here .
