Smithsonian Magazine 2012 Photography Contest: 50 Finalists

The Smithsonian magazine's 10th annual photo contest's 50 finalists have been chosen, but there's still time for you to vote for the Readers Choice winner! This year's competition has drawn over 37,600 entries from photographers in 112 countries around the world. Editors will choose a Grand Prize Winner and the winners in each of five categories which include The Natural World, Americana, People, Travel and Altered Images. Voting will be open through March 29, 2013. -- Paula Nelson ( 22 photos total)

THE NATURAL WORLD - An Onlooker Witnesses the Annular Solar Eclipse as the Sun Sets on May 20, 2012. Albuquerque, New Mexico, May 2012. (Colleen Pinski/Peyton, Colorado/Smithsonian.com)

TRAVEL - People Harvesting Salt at Sunset. Ninh Hoa District, Khanh Hoa Province, August 2012. (Hoang Giang Hai/Hanoi, Vietnam/Smithsonian.com)#

AMERICANA - Grandpa's Helper. McKinney, Texas, May 2012. (Kelly Berry/Murphy, Texas/Smithsonian.com)#

PEOPLE - Worshipers at Charak Puja in Moulvibazar, Bangladesh. Moulvibazar, Bangladesh, April 2012. (Md. Akhlas Uddin/Sylhet, Bangladesh/Smithsonian.com)#

PEOPLE - Rasta Daughter. Johannesburg, South Africa, May 2012. (Selwane Evodia Melamu/Johannesburg, South Africa/Smithsonian.com)#

AMERICANA - Apple guy on location in the Desert. Dallas, Texas, May 2010. (Ron Hendersen/Dallas, Texas/Smithsonian.com)#

AMERICANA - Nighttime at Times Square, NYC. New York City, New York, November 2012. (Doug Van de Zande/Raleigh, North Carolina/Smithsonian.com)#

TRAVEL - River Ferry Operating in the Early Morning. Xiao Donjiang, China/August 2010. (James Khoo/Shah Alam, Malaysia/Smithsonian.com)#

THE NATURAL WORLD - A Man-Made Ice Geyser. Duluth, Minnesota, December 2011. (Nathan Carlsen/Duluth, Minnesota/Smithsonian.com)#

TRAVEL - Alternating Rice Plots in the Bacson Valley in July. (Hai Thinh Hoang, July 2012) (Hai Thinh Hoang/Hanoi, Vietnam/Smithsonian.com)#

THE NATURAL WORLD - Mummy, I Am Down Here, and Hungry! Borneo Highland Resort, Sarawak, Malaysia, November 2010. (Bjorn Olesen/Singapore/Smithsonian.com)#

THE NATURAL WORLD - Antheraea Polyphemus Caterpillar Striking a Rather Devious-Looking Pose. Durham, North Carolina, September 2011. (Colin Hutton/Durham, NC/Smithsonian.com)#

THE NATURAL WORLD - The Ants Holding Seeds. Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia, July 2012. (Eko Adiyanto/Bekasi, Indonesia/Smithsonian.com)#

PEOPLE - Guardians of the Forest. Rio Caqueta, Amazonas, Colombia, February 2012. (Piers Calvert/West Sussex, England/Smithsonian.com)#

TRAVEL - A visit to Bagan, Myanmar. Bagan, Myanmar, January 2011. (Han Tha/Yangon, Myanmar/Smithsonian.com)#

THE NATURAL WORLD - Breeding Penguins. Antarctica, February 2012. (Neal Piper/Washington, D.C./Smithsonian.com)#

AMERICANA - Annual Bucking Horse Sale in Miles City, Montana. Miles City, Montana, May 2012. (George Burgin/Billings, Montana/Smithsonian.com)#

PEOPLE - Christine, 20-years-old, with Her First Child a Few Months Old. Mulungwishi, Deomcratic Republic of Congo, April 2012. (Paolo Patruno/Bologna, Italy/Smithsonian.com)#

AMERICANA - Hopper/Rockwell Scene, New York City. New York City, New York, September 2011. (Winston Hicks/Austin, Texas/Smithsonian.com)#

AMERICANA - Liquor Store. Petaluma, California, September 2011. (David Egan/San Francisco, California/Smithsonian.com)#

TRAVEL - Musicians Arriving at the Bullring. Quito, Ecuador, October 2011. (Raul Amaru Linares/Bogota, Colombia/Smithsonian.com)#

PEOPLE - In One of the Small Churches in Nazareth. Nazareth, Israel, July 2011. (Ilan Fain/Haifa, Israel/Smithsonian.com)#

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