The Smithsonian Magazine announced the winners in its 4th Annual Photo Contest. It had solicited entries in five categories:The Natural World, Americana, People, Travel and Altered Images.
This year's grand-prize winner is a Natural World entry of the Tukituki River Valley in New Zealand. The photographer is 18-year-old Joelle Linhoff, of Minnetonka, Minnesota.
You may agree with me that the winning submissions are largely nothing to write home about (with one or two exceptions), but that may well have been due to the photo editors' choices. The photograph of a Buddhist monk photographing a group of monks is pedestrian at best...but it's humorous, I guess.
In September, Smithsonian.com will announce details of its 5th Annual Photo Contest.
Here's the link