20 Finalists of the Smithsonian Photo Contest Show Earth’s Awesome Beauty

Guess what's for dinner? This amazing capture of a snake devouring a frog, by photographer Nicolas Reusens, is just one of sixty incredible photos that have been selected as finalists in Smithsonian.com's 12th Annual Photo Contest. There were over 26,500 entries by photographers from 93 different countries. The photo editors have now whittled down their list, picking ten finalists in each of these categories – Natural World, Travel, People, Americana, Altered Images and Mobile. Now it's up to you to decide who will be the Reader's Choice winner. From now till March 30, on Smithsonian's website, you can vote for on your favorite photo, helping to decide on who will receive the $500 cash prize.

The amazing snake image was captured in a Costa Rica jungle. Reusens struggled to keep his camera dry as he prepared to take the stunning shot. “I could only get around five pictures before the frog was swallowed and the snake disappeared into the deep forest,” he says. “Not until I arrived home did I realize I had taken one of my favorite shots of the whole trip.”

All winners will be announced on March 31, at which time Smithsonian.com will be opening up their 13th Annual Photo Contest. Be inspired and start taking your prize-worthy photos now.

Photo: Anthony Smith

Photo: Pham Ty

Photo: Hoang Long Ly

Photo: Ray Collins

Photo: Eng Siong Yeo

Photo: Ramesh Chandar

Photo: Bhaskar Sur

Photo: Kevin Morgans

Photo: Nhiem Hoang

Photo: Michel Labrecque

Photo: Kristhian Castro

Photo: David Huamani Bedoya

Photo: Libby Zhang

Photo: Frank Miles Richert

Photo: Lorenzo Mittiga

Photo: Az Jackson

Photo: Ellie Davies

Photo: Olivier Douliery

Photo: Anne Marcom

Smithsonian.com website

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