National Geographic's 2012 Photos of the Year

Seen here are the winners of National Geographic‘s 2012 Photos of the Year contest. Among the winners was a full moon shot of The Matterhorn taken by Nenad Saljic, a shot of women scavenging through a landfill at dusk by Micah Albert, and a scene of colorfully outfitted racers expeditioning against a cool South Pole backdrop by Kai-Otto Melau.

The grand prize winner and first place in the Place/Nature category went to THE EXPLOSION! by Ashley Vincent, who captured Busaba – an Indochinese tiger as she shook herself dry after a bath and as her expression shows, perhaps also noticing the viewers peering in. If you’d like to see the full set with descriptions, head on over to National Geographic.