By Neha Prakash From Mashable

This year’s National Geographic photo contest winner highlights humans in the wild (read: public transportation) doing what they do best: staring at their cellphones.

The winning image, titled “A Node Glows in the Dark,” was taken by Brian Yen in Ocean Park, Hong Kong.

“I feel a certain contradiction when I look at the picture,” Yen told National Geographic. “On the one hand, I feel the liberating gift of technology. On the other hand, I feel people don’t even try to be neighborly anymore, because they don’t have to.”

Yen’s image also happens to recall London-based photographer Babycakes Romero’s “Death of a Conversation” photo series, which went viral earlier this year.

A photo of migrating wildebeests in Tanzania, taken by Nicole Cambre of Brussels, Belgium, won the nature category and Triston Yeo, of Singapore won the places category with a photo of Budapest thermal spas.

National Geographic pored over more than 9,000 entrees from 150 countries to choose the winners of its annual photo contest, whose pictures will be published in the magazine.

 

A node glows in the dark…

Nat%20geo%20finals-9

In the last 10 years, mobile data, smart phones and social networks have forever changed our existence. Although this woman stood at the center of a jam packed train, but the warm glow from her phone tells the strangers around her that she’s not really here. She managed to slip away from here, for a short moment, she’s a node flickering on the social web, roaming the earth, free as a butterfly. Our existence is no longer stuck to the physical here, we’re free to run away, and run we will.

IMAGE: BRIAN YEN NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 2014 PHOTO CONTEST

 

The great migration

Nat%20geo%20finals-8

Jump of the wildebeest at the Mara river in North Serengeti, Tanzania.

IMAGE: NICOLE CAMBRE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 2014 PHOTO CONTEST

 

Bathing in Budapest

Nat%20geo%20finals-3

The Thermal Spa in Budapest is one of the favourite activities of the Hungarian especially in winter. We were fortunate to gain special access to shoot in the Thermal Spa thanks to our tour guide, Gabor. I love how the mist caused by the great difference in temperature between the hot spa water and the atmosphere. It makes the entire spa experience more surreal and mystical.

IMAGE: TRISTON YEO NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 2014 PHOTO CONTEST

 

Shoulder Creek- Boundary Bay, BC, Canada

Nat%20geo%20finals-5

A wild short-eared owl completes a shoulder check in case something was missed. Northern harriers were also hunting in the field and these raptors will often steal a kill from the owls.

IMAGE: HENRIK NILSSON NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 2014 PHOTO CONTEST

 

Dragon

Nat%20geo%20finals-4

Ice art on the window in Estonia.

IMAGE: MAIE KIRNMANN NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 2014 PHOTO CONTEST

 

Stag Deer Bellowing

Nat%20geo%20finals-11

Stag Deer Bellowing in Richmond Park, London, UK.

IMAGE: PRASHANT MESWANI NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 2014 PHOTO CONTEST

 

Muscle Power

Nat%20geo%20finals-15

This playful fight amongst two young sub adult Tigers was indeed a brilliant life time opportunity that lasted exactly 4-5 seconds. The cubs were sitting in the grass as dusk approached when suddenly one of them sneaked up behind the other and what happened next is captured in this image.

IMAGE: ARCHNA SINGH NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 2014 PHOTO CONTEST

 

Zebras and the rim of the Crater

Nat%20geo%20finals-10

Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania, is the world’s largest inactive volcanic caldera. It is a collapsed volcano that harbours a range of African wildlife that live in relatively close proximity and competition of each other. Zebras are amongst the most common animals in the crater along with wildebeest, gazelles, hyenas, and lions. On a clear day, a 360 degree view of the crater rim can be seen whilst being inside.

IMAGE: ZIK TEO NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 2014 PHOTO CONTEST

 

Great Barrier Reef

Nat%20geo%20finals-6

On a windy day right after a cyclone passed the far northern Great Barrier Reef, I took some friends out to the reef. Never before I saw that many glass fish on this particular coral ‘bommie’. Just when I setup my camera, this Napoleon Wrasse swam right through the school of fish building a living frame.

IMAGE: CHRISTIAN MILLER NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 2014 PHOTO CONTEST

 

Children in the darkness

Nat%20geo%20finals-2

Disabled children living in Syria war.

IMAGE: ABDULLAH ALGHAJAR NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 2014 PHOTO CONTEST

 

Biltigiri

Nat%20geo%20finals-17

The chef of Ramnami people in Chhattisgarh, India. Ramnami tattoo the name of the lord ‘Ram’ on their body. Their entire focus is on the name of Ram, the name of God that is most dear to them. The Ramnami Samaj is a sect of harijan (Untouchable) Ram. Formed in the 1890s, the sect has become a dominant force in the religious life of the area. The tattoo is the result of their devotion and also, a gift and an acknowledgement from Ram.

IMAGE: MATTIA PASSARINI NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 2014 PHOTO CONTEST

 

Temper

Nat%20geo%20finals-7

A young girl throws a temper tantrum in a Bangkok shopping mall. June, 2014 in Bangkok, Thailand.

IMAGE: ADAM BIRKAN NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 2014 PHOTO CONTEST

 

Dead Sea Mudbathing

5ed

Seekers of eternal youth coat themselves in mineral-rich mud, at the Dead Sea in Israel.

IMAGE: NICK RILEY NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 2014 PHOTO CONTEST

 

Tea Time in the Hut in Paris

Nat%20geo%20finals-14

Little discussion with a doll in a plastic box, not inherently beautiful. But with this slice of light, it looks like a bubble invented to dream in an imaginative world.

IMAGE: K NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 2014 PHOTO CONTEST

 

Waiting

Nat%20geo%20finals-18

He was waiting on the bed, lost in thoughts, while his wife was preparing the bread to be blessed for the orthodox Eucharist.

 

IMAGE: ROBERTO FIORE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 2014 PHOTO CONTEST

My brothers and I

Nat%20geo%20finals-12

Our road trip down to Miami traversed this outlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We rested on this ridge overlooking the mountains. Though we argued consistently throughout the journey, here we were reminded of our brotherhood.

IMAGE: TYLER G NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 2014 PHOTO CONTEST

 

Destroyed Homs

Nat%20geo%20finals-16

Birds fly over the destroyed houses in Khalidiya district in Homs, Syria. In the vast stillness of the destroyed city center of Homs, there are large areas where nothing moves. Then, suddenly, wind blows a ripped awning, or birds fly overhead.

IMAGE: SERGEY PONOMAREV NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 2014 PHOTO CONTEST

 

The Storm

Nat%20geo%20finals-13

I was taking photo with my nephew, the storm came and I caught this beautiful moment in Turkey.

IMAGE: AYTUL AKBAS NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 2014 PHOTO CONTEST

 

Tokyo – Shinagawa Station

Nat%20geo%20finals-19

I was up at an ungodly hour to make it to the Tsukiji Fish Market, in Tokyo. With so many amazing things to see in the city, I had hardly slept, and managed to get off at the wrong station. Wave after wave of people kept coming through the station passageway. I spied a coffee shop with a vantage point and managed to snap a free shots, camera resting on the ledge. After the caffeine kicked in, I was ready to brave the river of people.

IMAGE: PETER FRANC NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC 2014 PHOTO CONTEST

For more on this story go to: http://mashable.com/2014/12/18/national-geographic-2014-photo/?utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29&utm_cid=Mash-Prod-RSS-Feedburner-All-Partial&utm_medium=feed&utm_source=feedburner&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher