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Dutch Youth Wins Big With Seaweed Photo

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Astonishing: For the second straight year, 13-year-old Simon Nikolaï van Lierdre of The Hague, Netherlands, has won the Grand Prize in National Geographic’s International Photography Contest for Kids. Simon’s extraordinary image of a girl in seaweed earned him an all-expenses-paid trip to National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Children submitted more than 13,000 photographs to the contest.

NG Kids magazine local-language edition editors in 14 countries picked national finalists in each of four categories: People, Animals, Scenery, and Humor. A team of judges including the Society’s executive vice president of Children’s Publishing Melina Bellows, Image Collection senior editor Steve St. John, and NG Kids photo director Jay Sumner then selected their favorites from among the national winners.

The panel named 10-year-old Ellie Saunders of Dorset in the United Kingdom first runner-up in the international competition for her photograph of a black cat at night.

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Isabella Barbera, 10, of Marblehead, Massachusetts became second runner-up for her photo of Venice reflected in water.

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And Tenczer Zita Mária, 13, of Kiszombor, Hungary, earned third runner-up honors for her image of a child pretending to eat a live fish.

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See more international award winners, national award-winning photos from the U.S. and Canada, or view photographs by teens on our Photo Camp site.

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About National Geographic Society

The National Geographic Society is a global nonprofit organization that uses the power of science, exploration, education and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of our world. Since 1888, National Geographic has pushed the boundaries of exploration, investing in bold people and transformative ideas, providing more than 15,000 grants for work across all seven continents, reaching 3 million students each year through education offerings, and engaging audiences around the globe through signature experiences, stories and content. To learn more, visit www.nationalgeographic.org or follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook.