1. Kyaw Kyaw Winn in Myanmar.

14,000 plus photographers, 109 countries, 50 finalists. The entries for the Smithsonian’s 9th Annual Photo Competition were spread across five categories: Altered Images, Americana, the Natural World, People, and Travel. Here is a sampling of some of the final shortlisted entries.

2. Nimai Chandra Ghosh in West Bengal, India.

3. Wayne Bennett in New York, USA.

4. Jamie Illian in Nebraska, USA.

5. Paula Durham in South Africa.

6. David Lazar in Inle Lake, Myanmar.

7. Nancy Breslin in New York, USA.

8. Nicholas Wiesnet in Ethiopia.

9. Lucy Chien in Oregon, USA.

10. Pamela Maiato. Inverted Tubes. (Altered Images category)

11. Brian Day. Detroit. (Altered Images category)

12. Janwalai Kusuwan. New York City. (Altered Images category)

13. Jamie Scarrow in Antarctica.

14. Jia Han Dong in China.

15. Shyamal Das in Sikkim, India.

16. Robyn Meyer in Lincoln, California, USA.

17. Steven Ross in Yellowstone National Park, USA.

18. Marcel van Balken in Valencia, Spain.