Thrillist

National Geographic is one of the few publications where you can get away with saying "I just read it for the photos” without being severely judged. So it goes without saying that when the National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest rolls around, people take notice. 

Well, it’s that time of year again, and NatGeo's celebrating its 27th annual photo contest, giving unknown photographers the chance to enter and win serious prizes until June 30, 2015. The grand prize includes an eight-day photography expedition traversing Costa Rica and the Panama Canal, including airfare, for two people. Time to start rifling through those vacation photos on your laptop.

National Geographic was kind enough to share the top submissions for the month of April, and this lineup hits harder than the 1998 Yankees. Here are a few entries for your gawking pleasure, complete with captions written by the photographers.  More...