The breathtaking finalists in National Geographic Traveler's photography contest

These are some of the stunning images submitted to the 2016 National Geographic Traveller UK Photography and Video contest with many capturing breathtaking scenes of nature at its most resplendent.

One photographer, Geoffrey David Whittle, caught a mesmerising image of two wild horses fighting in the Namib Desert - where only the fittest survive - and another, Megan Lee, captured the moment two zebras linger before a turbulent horizon at a nature reserve in south east England.

Hundreds of entries have been sent to National Geographic from photographers across the UK and Ireland, and now the finalists have been selected with landscapes, sunsets and some of the world's most ferocious wildlife submitted into the mobile, portfolio, photography and video categories.

This year's competition aims to find the talented shutterbugs and winners will be sent on a photographic commission to destinations including Tanzania, Vietnam, Abu Dhabi, Italy and Iceland.

The winning photo will be announced on February 13. Pat Riddell, Editor for National Geographic Traveller, said: 'We've been incredibly impressed with the response and high standard of submissions to our annual Photography Competition. With more prizes and opportunities for a commission available this year, the competition quality was extremely high.'

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