They make taking a good photo look like child’s play.
Last month, National Geographic released the winners of their inaugural Photography Contest for Kids. Selected from more than 46,000 entries around the world, 11-year-old Dewi Baggerman from the Netherlands was named the grand-prize winner, with her photo of a field of vibrant tulips shot from a unique angle.
This year’s winning contest photos were chosen from a dramatically larger pool of entries than in the past. The 46,000+ photo submissions marked a 162 percent increase over last year’s program.
Open to children ages 6 to 14, the worldwide competition was conducted in partnership with the U.S. edition of National Geographic Kids magazine and nine other local-language editions: Bulgaria, China, Egypt, Germany, India, Indonesia, Netherlands, Slovenia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Each country held a national contest and, in the final round, sent one photo from each of the four categories to National Geographic headquarters for judging.
The judging panel announced that the four category winners in this year’s worldwide competition were:
- Maj Kastelic, 13, Slovenia — Amazing Animals (photos of pets, zoo animals or wild animals)
- Dewi Baggerman, 11, Netherlands — Dare to Explore (photos of outdoor scenery)
- Pan Yinzhi, 13, China — Weird But True (photos that capture something odd or funny)
- Sanya Jain, 12, India — Wild Vacation (photos taken during vacation travels)
Judge and Editor in chief of National Geographic Kids magazine, Rachel Buchholz says that the judges were blown away by both the quantity and the quality of this year’s entries. “We were impressed not only by the beauty and artistic skill that these photos showcased, but also by the creativity and unique perspective that they demonstrated,” she said. “It’s a delight to see how these kids engage with the world around them using photography.”
Being the grand prize winner, 11-year-old Dewi has won a five-day, four-night trip to Washington, D.C., and a tour of National Geographic headquarters.
You can find out more about the photo competition, plus see other finalists’ photos, by visiting their website here
