Incredible Images From The Smithsonian Photo Contest Show The Best Of The Natural World

Plants and Animals





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Main image: On April 22 2015, a 16-kilometer-high (10 mile) column of smoke plumes out of Calbuco volcano, south of Santiago, Chile. alex Vidal/Smithsonian

Explosions, tranquility and cuteness all make their way into the Smithsonian's 2015 Photo Contest.

Smithsonian Magazine recently announced the winning images of its 13th annual photo contest after boiling down some 46,000 entries sent in from 168 countries.

If you’re a photographer yourself, they are also accepting applicants for this year's 14th contest, for which you can upload your entry online through the website until November 30, 2016.