- The winners of the 2019 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year contest have been announced.
- Photographer Weimin Chu's "Greenlandic Winter," which depicts a family walking past the colorful buildings in Upernavik, Greenland, captured this year's Grand Prize.
- Scroll down to see the rest of the winners across three categories: Cities, Nature, and People.
- Visit INSIDER's homepage for more stories.
The grand-prize winner of the 2019 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year contest has been announced, and the photo is a beautiful glimpse of a less-visited corner of the world.
Titled "Greenlandic Winter," photographer Weimin Chu's shot captured a small family walking along the snow-covered streets and past the colorful houses of a remote Greenlandic town called Upernavik.
According to Visit Greenland, buildings in the country were traditionally color-coded to signify their function — from red shops, black police stations, yellow hospitals, and blue fish factories — to make them easier to identify through the snow. For Chu, this history made for a stunning photo juxtaposing the starkness of the fishing village's natural surroundings with the vibrant colors of its old homes.
National Geographic also named winners, runners-up, and honorable mentions in the competition's Cities, Nature, and People categories.
Scroll down to check out the 11 finalists.
Grand Prize Winner and Cities category winner: 'Greenlandic Winter' by Weimin Chu
While spending three months in Greenland capturing what life is like in the icy, snow-blanketed country, Chu took the 2019 Grand Prize-winning photo of the colorful houses of a northwestern fishing village called Upernavik.
According to Visit Greenland, buildings in the country were traditionally color-coded to signify their function — from red shops, black police stations, yellow hospitals, and blue fish factories — to make them easier to identify through the snow. For Chu, this history made for a stunning photo juxtaposing the starkness of the fishing village's natural surroundings with the vibrant colors of its old homes.
For his win, Chu received $7,500 and a post on National Geographic Travel's Instagram account, according to National Geographic.
Runner-up, Cities: 'In the Age of Aviation' by Jassen Todorov
According to National Geographic, Todorov was granted permission to fly over the approach end of two runways at San Francisco's International Airport (SFO).
As he wrote in the description of his photo, Todorov himself was flying the plane while attempting to capture the perfect shot. He noted that winds at the airport were 35-45 miles per hour on the day of his flight, so "it was much harder to control the plane while photographing."
Third place, Cities: 'Streets of Dhaka' by Sandipani Chattopadhyay
Each year, Bishwa Ijtema, a major gathering of the Islamic faith, takes place in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Millions of people visit the city for the holiday.
According to Chattopadhyay's description of his third-place photo on to National Geographic, "dedicated prayer grounds are not [large] enough to handle this huge number of people." As a result, people pray in the middle of the city's main street, temporarily suspending traffic and pedestrian movement.
Winner, Nature: 'Tender Eyes' by Tamara Blazquez Haik
Blazquez Haik captured first place in the Nature category with this stunning photo of a griffon vulture soaring over Spain's Monfragüe National Park.
"Vultures are important members of the environment, as they take care of recycling dead matter," Blazquez Haik wrote in her photo description. "Vultures are noble and majestic animals — kings of the skies."
Runner-up, Nature: 'Dreamcatcher' by Danny Sepkowski
Sepkowski took photos on the east side of Oahu, Hawaii, at sunset when he captured a photo of a wave just before it began to break.
In the photo's description, Sepkowski said he had to "look into my viewfinder while this wave was breaking [which is] not an easy task when a wave is about to crush you."
Third place, Nature: 'Dusky' by Scott Portelli
According to National Geographic, Portelli waited on the bow of a boat in the canyons of Kaikoura, New Zealand, to photograph a dusky dolphin as it broke through the surface of the water.
Portelli noted that dusky dolphins are fast enough to "keep pace with a speeding boat," making the clarity of his photo all the more impressive.
Honorable mention, Nature: 'King of the Alps' by Jonas Schäfer
According to Brittanica, ibexes are suited to live in the high altitudes of the Swiss Alps. Still, Schäfer said some members of the herd stopped to overlook Lake Brienz as he snapped this photo of the ibexes in Switzerland's Bernese Oberland.
Winner, People: 'Showtime' by Huaifeng Li
With sunlight streaming through the windows, Li captured three actors as they prepared for an opera performance in Licheng County, China.
According to his photo description, Li traveled to this location to photograph residents of the Loess Plateau who "dig holes in the loess layer [to create cave living spaces, known as yaodongs] and use the heat preservation properties to survive cold winters."
Runner-up, People: 'Daily Routine' by Yoshiki Fujiwara
Although this public park at Choi Hung House in Hong Kong is packed with people in the afternoons, Fujiwara explained in the photo description that it was virtually empty at sunrise.
"I felt divinity when I saw an old man doing tai chi in the sun," Fujiwara wrote.
Third place, People: 'Horses' by José Antonio Zamora
Since the 18th century, horses and horsemen have jumped through fire during the feast of Saint Anthony's Las Luminarias ritual, according to National Geographic.
Zamora said he relocated from Seville to San Bartolomé de Pinares to capture the ceremony, which is said to purify the animals. He noted that the animals are not hurt during the annual festivities.
Honorable mention, People: 'Mood' by Navin Vatsa
In his photo description, Vatsa said he regularly visits this spot along the banks of the Yamuna River in Delhi, India. On the day he shot "Mood," thousands of seagulls flocked over the water as visitors looked on.
One boy took advantage of the serenity of the early morning to think and reflect, and Vatsa was there to capture the moment with a stunning image.
To view all of the pictures from the 2019 National Geographic Travel Photo Contest, visit the website here.
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