Smithsonian.com

6th Annual Photo Contest Winners!

There is a time to fish and a time to dry nets—so goes the Chinese proverb. And there is a time to take pictures, as Johan Ensing of the Netherlands well knows. Vacationing in China's Yunnan Province, he drove past Erhai Lake, noticed a family of fishermen preparing their nets for the day and resolved to return when the light was right. He roused himself early the next morning and dashed for the lake, hoping the fishermen would still be there. They were. So was a golden light. He captured a timeless moment in China's hinterlands, the Grand Prize winner for Smithsonian's 6th Annual Photo Contest.

Like Ensing, many of our readers have shown themselves to be enthusiastic and talented photographers. We received more than 17,000 entries from professionals and amateurs in 99 countries. They demonstrated mastery over a great range of subjects—a starfish raising an arm as if to hail the sun; a pair of Bangladeshi women hitching a ride between speeding train cars; a contemplative still life of people settling in for dinner in Kyoto. Each was entered in one of our five categories: Americana, The Natural World, People, Altered Images, Travel.

An exhibition of our winners and selected finalists' photographs, "World View: Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest," will be on display at the Smithsonian Castle through January 17

We now reveal our Grand Prize Winner, Category Winners, and Readers' Choice Winner here.

And the winners are...

	Grand Prize Winner: Johan Ensing from Driehuis, Netherlands
	Winner, People: Wahid Adnan from Chittagong, Bangladesh
	Winner, The Natural World: Brandon Pendred from Spartanburg, South Carolina
	Winner, Americana: Gordon Stillman from Richmond, Virginia
	Winner, Altered Images: Pat Abbott from Washington, New Jersey
	Winner, Travel: Bogdan Bratosin from Redmond, Washington
	Readers' Choice Winner, Americana: Dan Monakil from Van Nuys, California

Category Winners and the Readers' Choice Winner receive $500. The Grand Prize Winner receives a four-day, three-night Smithsonian Journeys Grand Canyon Weekend Adventure for two, or the wholesale cash equivalent.