Smithsonian Magazine’s 10th annual photo contest. See all of the finalists here:

The Milky Way Galaxy Exploding from Mount Rainier
Photo by David Morrow (Everett, Washington). Photographed at Sunrise Point in Mount Rainier National Park, Washington, October 6, 2012

An Onlooker Witnesses the Annular Solar Eclipse as the Sun Sets on May 20, 2012
Photo by Colleen Pinski (Peyton, CO). Photographed in Albuquerque, NM, May 2012.
Mummy, I Am Down Here, and Hungry!
Photo by Bjorn Olesen (Singapore). Photographed in Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia, November, 2010.
Breeding Penguins
Photo by Neal Piper (Washington, DC). Photographed at Damoy Point, Antarctica, January 2012.
A Man-Made Ice Geyser
Photo by Nathan Carlsen (Duluth, Minnesota). Photographed in Duluth, Minnesota, January 2012.
Ants Holding Seeds
Photo by Eko Adiyanto (Bekasi, Indonesia). Photographed in Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia, April 2012.
Annual Bucking Horse Sale in Miles City, Montana
Photo by George Burgin (Billings, Montana). Photographed in Miles City, Montana, May 2012
Grandpa’s Helper
Photo by Jenny Braun (Hampton, Minnesota). Photographed in Hampton, Minnesota, July 2012.
Farmers Harvesting Salt
Photo by Alamsyah Rauf (Sulawesi-Selatan, Indonesia); Photographed Indonesia, September 2012.
Grey Smoke Hair
Photo by Michal Baran (Trim, Ireland). Photographed in Trim, County Meath, Ireland, January 2011.
People Harvesting Salt at Sunset
Photo by Hoang Giang Hai (Hanoi, Vietnam). Photographed in the Ninh Hoa District, Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, August 2012.
Rice Terraces Close to Harvest Season
Photo by Vo Anh Kiet (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam). Photographed in La Pan Tan, Mu Cang Chay, Yen Bai, Viet Nam, September 2012.
River Ferry Operating in the Early Morning in Xiao Donjiang, China
Photo by James Khoo (Shah Alam, Malaysia). Photographed in La Pan Tan, Mu Cang Chay, Yen Bai, Viet Nam, August 2010.
Christine, 20-years-old, with Her First Child a Few Months Old
Photo by Paolo Patruno (Bologna, Italy). Photographed in Mulungwishi, Democratic Republic of Congo, April 2012.
Alternating Rice Plots in the Bacson Valley
Photo by Hai Thinh Hoang (Hanoi, Vietnam). Photographed in Bac Son, Lang Son, Vietnam, July 15, 2012.

A Farmer Drying Rice in the Hot Sun
Photo by Alamsyah Rauf (Sulawesi-Selatan, Indonesia). Photographed in Indonesia, August 2012

Monks Releasing Lanterns During Loy Krathong in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Photo by Daniel Nahabedian (Chiang Mai, Thailand). Photographed in Chiang Mai, Thailand, November 2012.

In One of the Small Churches in Nazareth
Photo by Ilan Fain (Haifa, Israel). Photographed in Nazareth, Israel, July 2011.