11 of the Most Breathtaking Travel Photos of the Year

Sardine Run, South Africa: SIPAContest Photo Of The Year

"During the sardines' migration along the coast of South Africa, all marine predators are looking for sardines! I was lucky to be at the right place at the right time to photograph their capture." –Greg Lecoeur

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11 of the Most Breathtaking Travel Photos of the Year

Strawberry Greenhouses, Turkey: 1st Place, Travel Category

"To take this shot, I had to climb a relief which allowed me to include interesting, colored greenhouses located near Nazilli. To make the picture more interesting, I waited for the moment when a Turkish peasant who was working with the strawberries entered the frame." –Leyla Emektar

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11 of the Most Breathtaking Travel Photos of the Year

I'm Nothing, Myanmar: Honorable Mention, Open Monochrome Category

"The image was taken in one of Bagan's temples in Myanmar. It captures a very special moment when a sunbeam enters through a small window and hits the statue's heart while a monk is cleaning the statue at the same time." –Gunarto Gunawan

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11 of the Most Breathtaking Travel Photos of the Year

Jodhpur Family, India: Honorable Mention, Travel Category

"Colors, facial expressions, people's posture and a studied composition make this image particularly interesting as it portrays the Bhenwa family in the city of Jodhpur, Rajasthan, and is a true representation of the living conditions in this Indian city." –Isa Ebrahim

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11 of the Most Breathtaking Travel Photos of the Year

Phan Rang Fishing Net Making, Vietnam: 1st Place, Open Color Category

"In a small village in southern Vietnam near Phan Rang, a woman wearing a typical cone hat is creating a fishing net in their traditional manner. The manufacturing of handmade nets is still a typical Vietnamese activity for women which they carry on while their husbands are out fishing." –Danny Yen Sin Wong

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11 of the Most Breathtaking Travel Photos of the Year

Cheerful Conversation, Turkey: Honorable Mention, Open Monochrome Category

"Two elderly men who enjoy a jovial conversation in a mosque courtyard. Life is intimately connected with dialogue."–Mine Ertugrul

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11 of the Most Breathtaking Travel Photos of the Year

Firefalls, Yosemite National Park, California: Honorable Mention, Nature Category

"For two weeks out of the year, the sun aligns just right with Horsetail Falls in Yosemite National Park where the waterfall glows like lava a few minutes before sunset. To get prime real estate for this shot, I set up my tripod six hours before sunset along the bank of the Merced river with over 200 other photographers. I waited for the swirling mist to rise up the waterfall, and on the second evening produced this magical image." —Nicki Frates

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11 of the Most Breathtaking Travel Photos of the Year

Harvest Season, Xinjiang, China: Honorable Mention, Open Color Category

"October, the chilly harvest season, when the red chillies are mature, farmers pick them and leave them to dry in the hot sun. Once dry the chillies can easily be stored, transported and sold. This picture was taken from a unique aerial perspective, when the farmers were busy with the harvest." —Hanbin Wang

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11 of the Most Breathtaking Travel Photos of the Year

Vortex, New York: Honorable Mention, Architecture Category

"This shot, a view of Manhattan, was taken from Brooklyn, dock 3 of Columbia Street. 182 seconds of exposure on a late September afternoon 2015, during my honeymoon. That afternoon was pretty windy and the clouds were formed exactly as I hoped. When taking pictures with a long exposure, the sky always has its surprises." —Giuseppe Antonio Valletta

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11 of the Most Breathtaking Travel Photos of the Year

Playing In The Sky, Italy: Honorable Mention, Travel Category

"This is Monte Piana (2324m) in the Italian Dolomites, above the small town of Misurina during the International Highline festival. The mountain is popular with walkers, and in particular slack liners, who come to take advantage of the mountains' numerous buttresses, suspending thin lines between the spectacular cliffs and then attempting to walk over the gaps." –James Rushforth

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11 of the Most Breathtaking Travel Photos of the Year

Floating Market, South Borneo: 3rd Place, Travel Category

"A floating market is a market where goods are displayed and sold from boats. Floating markets are developed in places where water transportation plays an important role in everyday life." –Antonius Andre Tjiu

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11 of the Most Breathtaking Travel Photos of the Year