The first round of National Geographic competition

Angad Achappa

Angad Achappa captured this Coorg yellow bush frog in the rainforest of Agumbe, Karnataka, India. The frog was formerly known as a blue-eyed bush frog because of the blue ring around its eye.

TERUO ARAYA

The Tadami Line is a railway line that connects Fukushima and Niigata. It is a single-track, non-electrified local line. "Especially along the Tadami River, the view from the train is stunning," says photographer Teruo Araya. "The train goes over a number of bridges passing cherry blossoms in spring, greenery in summer, coloured leaves in autumn and snow in winter."

Felix Inden

"A tidal pool by the Lofoten Islands in northern Norway acts as a natural eye-catcher," says Felix Inden about his image. "When there are high tides around full moon, white sand gets washed into the pool and then the magic unfolds."

Sebastiaen

During a calm moment in the morning after sunrise, two horses graze in the Fundatura Ponorului hills in Transylvania, Romania. This moment was captured by Sebastiaen.

Joel Fischer

A lioness stretches into the immensity of the Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya, in this photo by Joel Fischer.

Jerry am Ende

"Golden hour at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, Delaware, this morning," says Jerry am Ende. "There was not a hint of wind when this great blue heron began to preen."

Todd Kennedy

Todd Kennedy made this bird's-eye view of a caravan of camels walking at sunset along Cable Beach, Western Australia.

anat gutman

Anat Gutman took this image in Kamchatka, Russia. "The three-month-old cub was so cute I almost dropped the camera and ran to hug him. Almost - because the mother bear was looking at me suspiciously."

Jassen Todorov

Every year between the months of December and March, Northern California becomes the winter home to thousands of migratory birds including geese, egrets, ducks and herons. Jassen Todorov took this aerial image from a plane which was flying at great speed.

Cameron McFarlane

"This photograph was taken in the cold waters of Whyalla, South Australia during the annual Australian giant cuttlefish aggregation. This event sees hundreds of thousands of cuttlefish make their way to find a mate and is the only place where they are known to aggregate in such large numbers," says photographer Cameron McFarlane.

Cole Frechou

This image of an alligator waiting in duckweed was taken in New Orleans, Louisiana. Cole Frechou, who captured it, says, "This was taken off of a boardwalk, so don't worry for my safety."

Adam Silverman

"This is one of my favourite photos of my favourite critter," says Adam Silverman. "Shot with a +25 magnifier, it really brings out the detail in this otherwise very small skeleton shrimp. Its face is clear, its reddish eyes are visible and the way it faces my camera with its arms wide makes it almost symmetrical. It's clear the colour matches the hydra that it is living on."

Csaba Daroczi

Csaba Daroczi remembers taking this image: "I was on my way home in the morning after doing some photography, when I saw a larger gaggle of geese on one such spot on a lake. I quickly assembled my drone and flew above them where they were not disturbed by the equipment. I had already been taking photos for a while, looking for interesting compositions when a smaller skein of geese arrived on to the lake."

Calin Stan

"This is the Cheia DN1A road that takes you to Transylvania," says Calin Stan. "Yes, that Transylvania, the birthplace of the legendary Count Dracula. This shot imagines what he might have seen on his nocturnal flights. Nevertheless, it's a breathtaking view of a magnificent road."

Alain Boudreau

Alain Boudreau photographed these rich greens fading into the grey ruggedness of the Mackenzie Mountains, a mountain range in Canada.