After looking through more than 50,000 photographs submitted by photographers from 132 different countries, the judges selected ten from each of six categories: The Natural World, Travel, People, Americana, Altered Images and Mobile.
In this gallery, we feature a selection from three of the categories. Head over to smithsonian.com before 6 May to cast your vote for the Readers' Choice award.
Natural World finalist: Daniel D'Auria (Tabernacle, New Jersey). A coastal brown bear hunts for salmon on Silver Salmon Creek in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. According to D'Auria, "she epitomises the raw beauty and awesome power of the Alaskan wilderness." (Lake Clark National Park, Alaska, August 2012, Canon 1D Mark IV)Daniel D'AuriaNatural World finalist: John Matzick (Port Hadlock, Washington). A seagull shortly after takeoff from an unusually placid Bering Sea. (Adak Island, Alaska, 2012, Sony SLT-A77)John MatzickNatural World finalist: Graham McGeorge (Jacksonville, Florida). McGeorge spent a quiet 6 hours trying to get the perfect image of this eastern screech owl out of its nest. (Okefenokee Swamp, Georgia, April 2013, Canon 1D Mark III)Graham McGeorgeNatural World finalist: Richard Masters (Quebec City, Canada). "Absolute Head Scratcher" is an image of a blue macaw. (Quebec City, Canada, July 2012, Canon EOS 60D)Richard MastersNatural World finalist: José De Rocco (Buenos Aires, Argentina). Snails in Argentina. (Pinamar, Buenos Aires, Argentina, January 2012, Canon EOS 5D)José De RoccoNatural World finalist: Christopher Doherty (North Palm Beach, Florida). Breath at sunset, captures a sea turtle at a dive site called Black Rock. (Kāʻanapali, Hawaiʻi, August 2013, Nikon D7000)Christopher DohertyNatural World finalist: Karen Lunney (Brisbane, Australia). During their annual migration, wildebeests are forced to find new river crossings in the Serengeti-Mara region. "The animals were being taken by the unfamiliar currents of deep water and had to struggle to get close to the far bank. There were few rocks on which to land and the initial orderly progression soon became a desperate struggle of clambering," says Lunney. (Mara River, Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya, September 2013, Leica M240typ)Karen LunneyTravel finalist: Matthew Zheng (San Francisco, California). "Navajo Bridge" is an image overlooking the Colorado River's Marble Canyon. (Page, Arizona, August 2012, Canon 5D Mark II)Matthew ZhengTravel finalist: Vo Anh Kiet (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam). Terraced fields during harvest season. (Mu Cang Chay, Vietnam, September 2012, Canon 5D Mark II)Vo Anh KietTravel finalist: Stefano Coltelli (San Miniato, Italy). Neist Point Lighthouse at dusk. (Isle of Skye, United Kingdom, August 2013, Nikon D600)Stefano ColtelliTravel finalist: Ken Lee (Lake Balboa, California). Ricardo Breceda's sculpture garden. Lee waited for a moonless night to capture the Milky Way, and he light-painted the sculptures to "conjure up a sort of 1950s sci-fi movie feel, with two atomic creatures doing battle under the stars." (Borrego Springs, California, August 2013, Nikon D7000)Ken LeeTravel finalist: Pyiet Oo Aung (Yangon, Myanmar). A young monk. (Innwa, Myanmar, December 2012, Canon EOS 7D)Pyiet Oo AungPeople finalist: Candy Feng (Starkville, Mississippi). Feng's son is dwarfed by the looming majesty of a glacier at Fjallsárlón. "I stood there for a while, contemplating and admiring. I wanted to remember that moment forever," says Feng. (Fjallsárlón Glacier, Iceland, June 2013, Canon 40D)Candy FengPeople finalist: Simon Morris (Bridgend, United Kingdom). An eagle hunter on a steppe in Mongolia rests with his Golden Eagle. (Mongolia, February 2013, Nikon D700)Simon MorrisPeople finalist: David Lazar (Brisbane, Australia). High in the mountains, a group of children play with a homemade soccer ball. (Quthing, Lesotho, December 2011, Nikon D700)David LazarPeople finalist: Yasir Nisar (Lahore, Pakistan). A devotee at Mela Chiraghan, an annual Festival of Lights in Pakistan. He was standing in front of a huge fire, casting the orange glow in the background. (Lahore, Pakistan, March 2011, Canon 40D)Yasir NisarPeople finalist: Vincent Cheng (Burnaby, Canada). A group of locals playing billiards by Namtso Lake. (Tibet, China, June 2013, Nikon D3000)Vincent ChengPeople finalist: Soheil Zandazar (Tehran, Iran). Mourners cover themselves in mud while beating their chests and standing around a fire for warmth during Ashura, a religious commemoration of the martyrdom of Hussein. (Khorramabad, Iran, November 2012, Nikon D700)Soheil Zandazar
