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Nature’s beauty is captured by the winners of the National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Awards

The winning photo featured an eruption of the Volcán de Colima, one of the most active volcanoes in Latin America

THE wonder of Mother Nature has been captured once again in this year’s National Geographic Travel Photographer Of The Year Awards.

A photograph of an erupting volcano and a bolt of lightning has beaten thousands of other pictures to earn the snapper the top prize.

Sergio Tapiro Velasco from Mexico won the top prize for this picture of an active volcano outside Colima, Mexico
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Sergio Tapiro Velasco from Mexico won the top prize for this picture of an active volcano outside Colima, MexicoCredit: Sergio Tapiro Velasco

Sergio Tapiro Velasco from Mexico took his grand prize-winning photo, titled “The Power of Nature,” outside Colima, Mexico.

For more than a decade, Velasco has been studying and photographing the Volcán de Colima, which is one of the most active volcanoes in Latin America and also known as the “Volcano of Fire.”

Before he captured the picture, Velasco had been carefully tracking an increase in activity and closely watched the volcano for almost a month.

While shooting on a completely clear night just 7.5 miles away from the crater, Velasco heard a booming noise and witnessed the biggest volcanic lightning he’d ever seen, but until he reviewed the photos he’d taken, Velasco had no idea if he’d actually captured the spectacular event.

He said: “When I looked on the camera display, all I could do was stare - what I was watching was impossible to conceive, the image showed those amazing forces of nature interacting on a volcano, while the lightning brightened the whole scene.”

In addition to the grand-prize winner, – Nature, Cities and People - from more than 15,000 entries from participants in more than 30 countries.

Swans glide over the water in Kabukurinuma, Osaki, Japan, a protected wetland
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Swans glide over the water in Kabukurinuma, Osaki, Japan, a protected wetlandCredit: Hiromi Kano

Velasco’s photo also chosen as the winner in the Nature category.

Meanwhile,  Norbert Fritz of Hungary took the top prize in the Cities category for his photo titled “Levels of Reading,” and “Worship” by F. Dilek Uyar of Turkey won the People category.

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Read on to see which other photos were selected as finalists and runners up in this year's competition.

Pictures that feature include gatherings of crocodiles in Costa Rica swans gliding across the water in Osaki, Japan.

American crocodiles gather along the bank of the Tarcoles River in Costa Rica
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American crocodiles gather along the bank of the Tarcoles River in Costa RicaCredit: Tarun Shina
The marble caves at Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia
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The marble caves at Torres del Paine National Park in PatagoniaCredit: Clane Gessel
In a remote village in the Tamba region of Japan, twinkling fireflies light up the Forest of the Gods on a summer evening
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In a remote village in the Tamba region of Japan, twinkling fireflies light up the Forest of the Gods on a summer eveningCredit: Y. Takafuji
A rare eruption of Mount Bromo, a small but active volcano on East Java, Indonesia
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A rare eruption of Mount Bromo, a small but active volcano on East Java, IndonesiaCredit: Reynold Dewantara
The Gardens of the Queen is a remote marine area south of Cuba, and has been protected since the 1960s. Predators, like these Caribbean reef sharks, are abundant—a sign of a healthy ecosystem
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The Gardens of the Queen is a remote marine area south of Cuba, and has been protected since the 1960s. Predators, like these Caribbean reef sharks, are abundant—a sign of a healthy ecosystemCredit: Shane Gross
Beams of light filter through a historic building in Konya, Turkey, where a whirling dervish performs an ecstatic dance
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Beams of light filter through a historic building in Konya, Turkey, where a whirling dervish performs an ecstatic danceCredit: F. Dilek Uyar
A crowd of spectators stands in front of Rembrandt’s masterpiece, Syndics of the Drapers’ Guild, at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam - where the people in the painting also appear to be curiously watching the visitors
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A crowd of spectators stands in front of Rembrandt’s masterpiece, Syndics of the Drapers’ Guild, at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam - where the people in the painting also appear to be curiously watching the visitorsCredit: Julius Y.
The professional surfer Donavon Frankenreiter, captured at Cloudbreak in Tavarua, Fiji
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The professional surfer Donavon Frankenreiter, captured at Cloudbreak in Tavarua, FijiCredit: Rodney Bursiel
A father and son dressed in traditional white clothing sit at a mosque in New Delhi, India, under a blue sky on Eid al-Fitr, the conclusion of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan
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A father and son dressed in traditional white clothing sit at a mosque in New Delhi, India, under a blue sky on Eid al-Fitr, the conclusion of the Islamic holy month of RamadanCredit: Jobit George
A train coming from Dhaka pauses at Tongi Railway Station in Gazipur, Bangladesh, on a rainy morning, where a pair of curious eyes looks through the misty window
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A train coming from Dhaka pauses at Tongi Railway Station in Gazipur, Bangladesh, on a rainy morning, where a pair of curious eyes looks through the misty windowCredit: Moin Ahmed
On the island of Bali, Besakih Temple has been known to locals as the 'Mother Temple' for more than a thousand years, where Hindu Balinese often visit to pray, make offerings, and take blessings from pemangku (priests)
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On the island of Bali, Besakih Temple has been known to locals as the 'Mother Temple' for more than a thousand years, where Hindu Balinese often visit to pray, make offerings, and take blessings from pemangku (priests)Credit: Micheal Dean Morgan
Natural light fills the modern interior of the city library in Stuttgart, Germany
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Natural light fills the modern interior of the city library in Stuttgart, GermanyCredit: Norbert Fritz
In Norway’s Lofoten Islands, the Henningsvær football field is considered one of the most amazing in Europe
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In Norway’s Lofoten Islands, the Henningsvær football field is considered one of the most amazing in EuropeCredit: Misha De-Stroyev
A woman walks along one of the outside corridors in a modern apartment complex in Gifu Prefecture, Japan
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A woman walks along one of the outside corridors in a modern apartment complex in Gifu Prefecture, JapanCredit: Tetsuya Hashimoto
New buildings rise from the desert floor near Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates
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New buildings rise from the desert floor near Al Ain in the United Arab EmiratesCredit: Andrzej Bochenski
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