Terrace rice paddy photo among the best in the National Geographic Photo Contest

A photo of terraced rice fields by photographer Nguyen Quynh Anh has been named among the top photographs in the evaluation round of the 2015 National Geographic Photo Contest.
The photo depicts terraced rice paddies in Tu Le Valley, northern Yen Bai province at the beginning of the new season with the H’mong people crossing on their way home at the end of their work day.
The annual contest is accepting entries from all around the world between September 1 to November 16 this year, classifying them into three official categories – People, Places and Nature.
The entries selected in the evaluation round will proceed to round two where the judges will select a first place winner in each category based on the following criteria: creativity, photographic quality and ingenuity and authenticity of the content.
The First Place Winner in each Category will receive US$2,500, and his/her winning photograph will be published in National Geographic magazine.
One Grand Prize Winner will receive, in addition to the First Place prize, US$7,500, and a trip to the District of Columbia, USA from January 13 to January 15, 2016 to participate in the National Geographic Photography Seminar. Trip includes round-trip coach class air transportation between a major airport near Winner’s home and Washington, DC; three (3) nights’ hotel accommodations in Washington, DC; a behind-the-scenes tour of National Geographic headquarters; and access to the all-day Seminar on January 14, where Grand Prize Winner’s winning entry will be projected. The Grand Prize is non-transferable and no cash alternative is available. Approximate retail value (“ARV”) of the Grand Prize is US$11,000-$14,000 (depending on cost of the flight from First Place Winner’s home country). Any difference between actual retail value of Grand Prize and ARV will not be awarded.
The mountainous Yen Bai province is home to thousands of hectares of terrace rice fields, which were recognised as national heritage sites in 2007. The area is about 1,000 metres above sea level, making it impossible to grow rice fields as they are in the delta. Thus, local residents grow their own rice on terraced fields to prevent the water from flowing downhill.
Terraced fields in Yen Bai are beautiful all year round. Visitors in March are treated to the sight of glittering ponds before locals transplant rice seedlings from April to May. After May, the hills are covered in green until the fields start to turn yellow with ripe rice in early September.
During the harvest in October, the golden rice field stands out of green forests, creating a magnificent picture in Viet Nam’s northern area.