Winners of the 2017 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year contest | CNN

Grand Prize, and 1st Prize Nature Category -- "The power of nature": The Grand Prize winner of the 2017 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest and 1st Prize Nature Category is Sergio Tapiro Velasco. Here's how he describes his winning image: "Powerful eruption of Colima Volcano in Mexico on December 13th, 2015. That night, the weather was dry and cold, friction of ash particles generated a big lightning of about 600 meters that connected ash and volcano, and illuminated most of the dark scene. In last part of 2015, this volcano showed a lot of eruptive activity with ash explosions that raised 2-3 km above the crater. Most of night explosions produced incandescent rock falls and lightning not bigger than 100 meters in average."

Courtesy Sergio Tapiro Velasco / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year

2nd Prize Nature Category -- "To live": The second prize winner of the 2017 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest is Hiromi Kano. Here's how Kano describes his image: "Swans who live vigorous even in mud."

Courtesy Hiromi Kano / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year

3rd Prize Nature Category -- "Crocodiles at Rio Tarcoles": The third prize winner of the 2017 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest is Tarun Sinha, who says: "This image was captured in Costa Rica when I was traveling from Monteverde to Playa Hermosa. As you cross over this river, you can stop and peer over the edge of the bridge. Below, reside over 35 gigantic crocodiles, relaxing on the muddy banks of the river. I wanted to capture the stark difference between the crocodiles on land and in the water. In the murky waters, the body contours of these beasts remain hidden, and one can only truly see their girth as they emerge from the river."

Courtesy by Tarun Sinha / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year

Nature Honorable Mention 1 -- "Marble Caves": The first honorable mention in the nature category of the 2017 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest is this photo of the marble caves of Patagonia by Clane Gessel.

Courtesy Clane Gessel / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year

Nature Honorable Mention 2 -- "Forest of the Fairy": The second honorable mention in the nature category of the 2017 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest is Yutaka Takafuji. Takafuji explains the story behind the photograph: "This photograph was taken in the evening hours of a humid early summer day in the forest of a small remote village in the Tamba area of Japan. It beautifully captures the magical atmosphere of Princess fireflies carpeting a stairway leading to a small shrine revered by the local people."

Courtesy Yutaka Takafuji / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year

Nature Honorable Mention 3 -- "Mt. Bromo ": The third honorable mention in the nature category of the 2017 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest is Reynold Riksa Dewantara. "Mount Bromo volcano is a small, but active volcanic cinder cone on Java, Indonesia," says the photographer of this image. "Early 2016, I happened to be in Mt. Bromo during the increase of seismic activity [that] triggered the alert status to the second highest."

Courtesy Reynold Riksa Dewantara / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year

Nature Honorable Mention 4 -- "In your face": The third honorable mention in the nature category of the 2017 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest is Shane Gross with this underwater image. "Caribbean reef sharks are usually shy," said Gross, "So I placed my camera on a rock where I know they frequent and used a remote trigger to click away as they came in and bumped my camera around."

Courtesy Shane Gross / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year

1st Prize City Category -- "Levels of reading": The first prize in the city category of the 2017 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest is Norbet Fritz with his image of "The modern interior of the city library in Stuttgart." Fritz has this to say about his image: "With its wide-open space in the central, where natural light comes from through the windows on the top, it has a very unique atmosphere, where you can broaden your knowledge."

Courtesy Norbert Fritz/National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year

2nd Prize City Category -- "Walled City #08": The second prize winner in the city category of the 2017 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest is Andy Yeung. Yeung says: "The Kowloon Walled City was the densest place on Earth. Hundreds of houses stacked on top of each other enclosed in the center of the structure. Many didn't have access to open space. This notorious city was finally demolished in 1990s. However, if you look hard enough, you will notice that the city is not dead. Part of it still exists in many of current high density housing apartments. I hope this series can get people to think about claustrophobic living in Hong Kong from a new perspective."

Courtesy Andy Yeung / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year

3rd Prize City Category -- "Henningsvær Football Field": The third prize winner in the city category of the 2017 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest is Misha De-Stroyev. De-Stroyev explains the story behind the drone image: "This football field in Henningsvær in the Lofoten Islands is considered one of the most amazing fields in Europe, and maybe even in the world. The photo was taken during a 10-day sailing trip in Norway in June 2017. We arrived to Henningsvær after a week of sailing through the cold and rainy weather. Upon our arrival, the weather cleared up. I was really lucky that the conditions were suitable for flying my drone, and I managed to capture this shot from a height of 120 meters."

Courtesy Misha De-Stroyev / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year

Nature Honorable Mention 1 -- "Colorful apartment": The first honorable mention in the nature category of the 2017 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest goes to Tetsuya Hashimoto. "This building is apartment complex in Gifu Prefecture of Japan," says Hashimoto. "It is very colorful, but it is an ordinary collective housing where ordinary people can live."

Courtesy Tetsuya Hashimoto / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year

Nature Honorable Mention 2 -- "All Ain": The second honorable mention in the nature category of the 2017 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest is Andrzej Bochenski, who says his image is of a "new city on the desert."

Courtesy by Andrzej Bochenski / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year

1st Prize People Category -- "Worship": The first prize winner in the people category of the 2017 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest is F. Dilek Uyar. "This photo was taken in Konya. Whirling Dervish in an historical [dance] of Sille Konya Turkey," explains Dilek Uyar. "The 'dance' of the Whirling Dervishes is called Sema and is a symbol of the Mevlevi culture. According to Mevlana's teachings, human beings are born twice, once of their mothers and the second time of their own bodies."

Courtesy F. Dilek Uyar / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year

2nd Prize People Category -- "Interesting moment": The second prize winner in the people category of the 2017 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest goes to Julius Y. Here's how he describes his photograph: "Museum visitors curiously watching Rembrandt's painting 'Syndics of the Drapers' Guild' where it gave the illusion that the people on the paintings too are curiously watching the visitors."

Courtesy Julius Y. / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year

3rd Prize People Category -- "Under The Wave": The third prize winner in the people category of the 2017 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest is Rodney Bursiel. Burshiel says "I recently traveled to Tavarua, Fiji to do some surf photography with pro surfer Donavon Frankenreiter at Cloudbreak. I'm always looking for new angles and perspectives. The usual surf shots have all been done so we decided to get a little creative. Makes you look twice."

Courtesy Rodney Bursiel / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year

People Honorable Mention 1 -- "Bridging Generation": The first honorable mention in the people category of the 2017 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest is Jobit George. Here's how George describes his photograph: "A beautiful photo of a father and son sitting in white traditional attire with beautiful blue sky on the day of Eid al-Fitr in a mosque in New Delhi, India. The photo shows the beautiful bond which these two generations have been building up in a very simple and lovable manner."

Courtesy Jobit George / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year

People Honorable Mention 2 -- "The Man's Stare": The second honorable mention in the people category of the 2017 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest is Moin Ahmed. Ahmed says: "The photo was taken on 23rd of July 2016 at Tongi Railway Station, Gazipur, Bangladesh. I was there taking photos and waiting for a moment. A train from Dhaka toward another district has reached and stopped at the platform for five min for lifting passengers. It was raining. Suddenly I found a pair of curious eye looking at me through the window and on his left an umbrella has been put out to protect from the rain. I got the moment."

Courtesy Moin Ahmed / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year

People Honorable Mention 3 -- "Blessing at Besakih": The third honorable mention in the people category of the 2017 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest goes to Michael Dean Morgan. Morgan says: "Besakih Temple has been known as Bali's 'Mother Temple' for over 1000 years and is perched 1000 metres high on the southwestern slopes of Mount Agung. Here Balinese often come to offer up prayer and take blessing from the temple priests or 'Pemangku' who reside there."

Courtesy Michael Dean Morgan / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year

Stunning images from Nat Geo's 2017 photo contest

CNN —

The winners of the 2017 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year have been announced. And, as always, the photographs are spectacular.

Sergio Tapiro Velasco of Mexico was awarded the prestigious grand prize for his awe-inspiring image of the moment an erupting volcano was hit by a bolt of lightning.

National Geographic also awarded prizes for photographs in three categories – Nature, Cities and People. Velasco’s image snagged first prize in the Nature category as well.

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

The prize-winning photos, as well as several honorable mentions, are featured in the above gallery.

MORE: 9 of the world’s best photography vacations

Creative and compelling

The second prize in the "People" category is this intriguing image of Amsterdam museum visitors.

Courtesy Julius Y. / National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year

“I was inspired by the variety of locations and creativity of the photographers in their quest to make compelling images,” says judge Molly Roberts, senior photography editor at National Geographic.

The eclectic subjects of the photographs range from swans flying over water in Japan, to tourists observing a Rembrandt painting at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Velasco’s grand prize photograph features the Volcán de Colima, in Mexico’s Jalisco state. The photographer says he took the image after tracking the volcano’s seismic activity for nearly a month.

“The image showed those amazing forces of nature interacting on a volcano, while the lightning brightened the whole scene,” he says. “It’s an impossible photograph and my once in a lifetime shot that shows the power of nature.”

MORE: 2016 National Geographic travel photo contest entries

The award of a lifetime

Velasco’s efforts paid off – he’s won an incredible trip to the Galapagos Archipelago.

Once there, he will snorkel amongst exotic sea creatures and visit the Charles Darwin Research Station.

First, second and third prize winners in each category receive $2,500, $750 and $500, respectively – plus a subscription to National Geographic Traveler magazine.