The 12th Annual Smithsonian.com Photo Contest was recently held with over 26,500 entries from photographers from 93 different countries. The photographs were then selected by the Smithsonian’s photo editors who chose the en finalists per category—Natural World, Travel, People, Americana, Altered Images and Mobile.

These dazzling photos from the finalist’s range from children playing, breathtaking landscapes and animals in their natural habitat. One of the photographers were Dawn LaPointe whom was on holiday with her husband when they witnessed a astonishing fog-gilded sunrise. She says:

The silhouette of the canoeist effortlessly gliding along the lake illustrates the solitude and serenity we cherish in the American wilderness

Nicolas Reusens was hiking in the jungle between Monteverde and La Fortuna, Costa Rica, when he saw a snake about to eat a frog, he says:

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.

More info: Smithsonian.com

Category: People

1. Women sew fishing nets in Vinh Hy Bay, Ninh Thuan, Vietnam.

Women sew fishing nets in Vinh Hy Bay, Ninh Thuan, Vietnam.

Pham Ty / Via smithsonianmag.com

Photograph by Pham Ty, Taken with a Sony NEX-6.

2. Boys jump into a river near Nghiem Xuyen village, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Boys jump into a river near Nghiem Xuyen village, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Viet Phuong Tran / Via smithsonianmag.com

Photograph by Viet Phuong Tran, with a Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II.

3. Photograph by Amy Hand, of her daughter Hannah.

Photograph by Amy Hand, of her daughter Hannah.

Amy Hand / Via smithsonianmag.com

Taken in Reedy, West Virginia, with a Canon EOS REBEL T3.

4. Children giggling together in Medinipur, West Bengal, India.

Children giggling together in Medinipur, West Bengal, India.

Kuntal Kumar Roy / Via smithsonianmag.com

Photograph by Kuntal Kumar Roy, taken with a Nikon D7000.

Category: Travel

5. Holy Week celebrations in Acobamba, Tarma, Peru.

Holy Week celebrations in Acobamba, Tarma, Peru.

David Huamani Bedoya / Via smithsonianmag.com

Taken by David Huamani Bedoya with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

6. Young Buddhists play on the Hsinbyume Pagoda, Myanmar, after the tourists have left for the day.

Young Buddhists play on the Hsinbyume Pagoda, Myanmar, after the tourists have left for the day.

Sergio Carbajo Rodriguez / Via smithsonianmag.com

Photo by Sergio Carbajo Rodriguez, taken in with a Nikon D600.

Category: Natural World

7. A green iguana surfaces for air in a cave on the island of Bonaire.

A green iguana surfaces for air in a cave on the island of Bonaire.

Lorenzo Mittiga / Via smithsonianmag.com

Photo by Lorenzo Mittiga, taken with a Canon EOS 7D.

8. A snake devours a frog at Costa Rica’s Arenal Volcano.

A snake devours a frog at Costa Rica's Arenal Volcano.

Nicolas Reusens / Via smithsonianmag.com

Photo by Nicolas Reusens with a Canon 5D Mark III.

9. An elephant seal pup in South Georgia is not bothered by crashing waves.

An elephant seal pup in South Georgia is not bothered by crashing waves.

Anthony Smith / Via smithsonianmag.com

Photo by Anthony Smith with a Nikon D4.

Category: Americana

10. Fireworks burst over the Willamette River on the Fourth of July in Independence, Oregon.

Fireworks burst over the Willamette River on the Fourth of July in Independence, Oregon.

Anne Marcom / Via smithsonianmag.com

Photo by Anne Marcom, taken with an Olympus E3.

Category: Mobile

11. “A real-life Patsy Stone” from Absolutely Fabulous walks down a street in London.

"A real-life Patsy Stone" from Absolutely Fabulous walks down a street in London.

Rob Pearson-Wright / Via smithsonianmag.com

Photo by Rob Pearson-Wright, taken with a digital camera.

12. A little girl stares in wonder at an aquarium in Monterey, California.

A little girl stares in wonder at an aquarium in Monterey, California.

Royce Hutain / Via smithsonianmag.com

Photograph by Royce Hutain, taken with an iPhone 5s.

Category: Altered Images

13. “A house built for fishermen stands alone in the middle of the sea” in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

"A house built for fishermen stands alone in the middle of the sea" in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

Jefflin Ling / Via smithsonianmag.com

Photograph by Jefflin Ling with a Nikon D800E.

14. “Muslims walk along a retaining wall toward a mosque to pray” in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

"Muslims walk along a retaining wall toward a mosque to pray" in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Jefflin Ling / Via smithsonianmag.com

Photo by Jefflin Ling, taken with a Nikon D800E.

15. Fog winds through the trees in The New Forest, Hampshire, UK.

Fog winds through the trees in The New Forest, Hampshire, UK.

Ellie Davies / Via smithsonianmag.com

Photo by Ellie Davies with a Nikon D3X.

You can see the rest of the 60 finalist photos here, and cast your vote for the Readers’ Choice prize until 30 March, 5:00 PM ET.

via buzzfeed

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