National Geographic Celebrates 100 Million Instagram Followers with Photo Contest

 

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Thank you to everyone who voted. You selected this image by Ketan Khambhatta @ketankhambhatta as the grand prize winner of the #natgeo100contest! In addition to a signed photo book, Ketan will receive the Nat Geo Photo Safari to Tanzania. Big thanks to everyone who entered. * In the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, zebras search for crocodiles while wildebeest run across the river. * This photo was initially selected as a finalist by photographer Muhammed Muheisen @mmuheisen: “The image is so dynamic, with a powerful depth that keeps me looking. A moment well captured.”

A post shared by National Geographic (@natgeo) on Feb 28, 2019 at 4:16pm PST

Watch out Beyoncé, Ariana Grande, and Kylie Jenner, there's a new Instagram account joining the 100 million followers club. National Geographic just broke 100 million followers on Instagram and, to celebrate, they held a 24-hour Instagram photo contest. More than 94,000 photos were submitted, with the grand prize winner getting a Nat Geo photo trip to Tanzania.

Users were asked to label their most “Nat-Geo inspired photo” with the hashtag #natgeo100contest. Photo editors and photographers at National Geographic then sifted through the submissions to select the top 10 entries. These finalists were published on the Nat Geo Instagram feed and the public voted for the winner.

In the end, wildlife photographer Ketan Khambhatta took the top prize for his beautiful photo of zebras hunting for crocodiles as wildebeest run wild in the background. Photographed at the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, the image was selected as a finalist for its dynamic composition and Khambhatta's ability to capture such an incredible moment.

Let's take a look at the other finalists, as well as some of our favorite entries from the contest. And don't forget to follow National Geographic to see more incredible nature and wildlife photography from around the world.

From 94,000 entries, here are the finalists of National Geographic's Instagram photo contest.

 

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This photo by Adam Kiefer @adamkieferphoto, was a finalist in the #natgeo100contest | National Park Ranger Matthieu Shamavu embraces Matabishi, an orphaned juvenile mountain gorilla, at the Senkwekwe Center, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Senkwekwe is the only rehabilitation center for mountain gorillas in the world. * Selected by photographer Ami Vitale @amivitale: “The image is sublime because we immediately understand that it's a metaphor for unspeakable brutality but also great tenderness. This image illustrates our complex bond with the natural world.”

A post shared by National Geographic (@natgeo) on Mar 1, 2019 at 12:00pm PST

 

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This photo by Khatia Nikabadze @khatia.ni, was a finalist in the #natgeo100contest | A pair of lambs stare out a car window at a livestock market in Marneuli, Georgia. * Selected by photographer David Guttenfelder @dguttenfelder: This photograph wasn’t made in the wild, yet the picture, in one moment, tells the seemingly bittersweet story of the young lambs.

A post shared by National Geographic (@natgeo) on Mar 1, 2019 at 6:02pm PST

 

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This photo by Chris O'Bryan @obryan.wildlife, was a finalist in the #natgeo100contest | Galahs, a species of cockatoo, scour the parched Outback for water in Western Australia. Here, waterholes are the vital source of life. * Selected by photographer Wayne Lawrence @waynelawrence: Of all of the images of wildlife, this one seems less clichéd and stood out because of the masterly use of color and composition.

A post shared by National Geographic (@natgeo) on Mar 2, 2019 at 12:03pm PST

 

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This photo by Sandra Cattaneo Adorno @sandracattaneoadorno, was a finalist in the #natgeo100contest |On a day when the sea was unusually rough and the undertow dangerously strong, bathers on Ipanema beach, in Rio de Janeiro, appear hesitant to take the plunge. * Selected by photographer Michaela Skovranova @mishkusk: A surreal scene—this image highlights an eclectic mix of light, human impact, and the power of the environment. It’s as if the heat of the Earth and the humans is radiating off the sand, creating their own micro climate.

A post shared by National Geographic (@natgeo) on Mar 2, 2019 at 3:02pm PST

 

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This photo by Frank Haluska @fshaluska, was a finalist in the #natgeo100contest | Great Egrets appear serene and still in wetlands, but they are also vicious hunters, who eat anything they can catch—including this bullfrog, who appears to be fighting hard for survival * Selected by photographer Cory Richards: This moment is so bizarre and confusing that I had to zoom in to make sure another animal’s foot wasn’t sticking straight out of the water to block the distressed frog from certain death.

A post shared by National Geographic (@natgeo) on Mar 2, 2019 at 6:03pm PST

 

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This photo by Matt Potenski @shark8matt, was a finalist in the #natgeo100contest | Whale sharks have personalities. This one was bold and curious, approaching the boat anytime we came near. Whale sharks are huge, so large they resemble living reefs. No other terrestrial animal can match their size, power, and grace. * Selected by photographer Cristina Mittermeier @cristinamittermeier: “I have done a lot of swimming with whale sharks, and you never get to see an absolutely beautiful moment like this that exemplifies the abundance of healthy oceans.”

A post shared by National Geographic (@natgeo) on Mar 3, 2019 at 9:02am PST

 

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This photo by Felice Simon @goldenfelice, was a finalist in the #natgeo100contest | Families glide on an ice rink in Brooklyn, New York’s Prospect Park on an unseasonably warm January day. * Selected by photographer Maggie Steber @maggiesteber: This photograph of skaters large and small somehow reminds me of a memory from childhood. The way the pristine light shoots across the ice creating long shadows feels symbolic of how we have to stay the challenging course of raising our children, always being there to catch them if they fall.

A post shared by National Geographic (@natgeo) on Mar 3, 2019 at 12:03pm PST

 

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This photo by Francisco J. Perez @franciscop777, was a finalist in the #natgeo100contest | A summer thunderstorm rolls over the Grand Canyon. This image is a combination of three consecutive long exposure photos of the storm. * Selected by photographer Charlie Hamilton James @chamiltonjames: “This is an exceptional image of lightning striking the Grand Canyon. It is muddy, dramatic and demonstrates excellent technical ability.”

A post shared by National Geographic (@natgeo) on Mar 3, 2019 at 2:02pm PST

 

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This photo by Sara Stein @sarasteinphotography, was a finalist in the #natgeo100contest | This image depicts the frantic momentum of wildebeest crossing the Mara River in Tanzania. * Selected by photographer Tasneem Alsultan @tasneemalsultan: “I enjoy photos that aren't that obvious. Is it wasps of hair? Or shards of wood? The mass of horns rushing my way seem lethal, and yet the photographer made us see the image from an artistic view.”

A post shared by National Geographic (@natgeo) on Mar 3, 2019 at 4:02pm PST

Check out more entries by photographers who helped National Geographic celebrate reaching 100 million Instagram followers.

 

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A post shared by Maxime Israel Collier (@ne_meic) on Feb 28, 2019 at 11:18am PST

 

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A post shared by Devon Fox (@devonfoxphotos) on Feb 20, 2019 at 7:23am PST

 

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A post shared by Anuroop Krishnan (@anuroof) on Feb 25, 2018 at 10:04am PST

 

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A post shared by André Musgrove | Bahamas (@andremusgrove) on Feb 19, 2019 at 2:03pm PST

 

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A post shared by Ulla Lohmann (@ullalohmann) on Mar 2, 2019 at 5:51am PST

 

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A post shared by Nicholas Parker (@traunfoto) on Feb 25, 2019 at 5:10pm PST

 

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A post shared by Caine Delacy (@cainedelacy) on Feb 19, 2019 at 2:55pm PST

 

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A post shared by 🇦 🇷 🇻 🇮 🇳 🇩 🇵 🇦 🇹 🇼 🇦 🇱 (@arvindpatwalphotography) on Feb 28, 2019 at 10:38pm PST

 

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A post shared by Nicholas Parker (@traunfoto) on Mar 3, 2019 at 1:45pm PST

 

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A post shared by Majed sultan Alza'abi (@majedphotos) on Feb 20, 2019 at 4:50am PST

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