Best of the best in 2014: The year's biggest photography competition winners

Grand Prize – The Independence Day, by Marko Korošec, Julesburg, Colorado, US: "While on storm chasing expeditions in Tornado Alley, USA, I have encountered many photogenic supercell storms. This photograph was taken while we were approaching the storm near Julesburg, Colorado on 28 May 2013. The storm was tornado-warned for more than one hour, but stayed a low precipitation (LP) storm through all its cycles, and never produced a tornado: just occasional brief funnels, large hail and some rain."(Marko Korošec/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

 First Place – 2014 Photographer of the Year: Julio Lucas, Bradenton, US(Julio Lucas)

 Winner of the Deep Space category: Horsehead Nebula (IC 434) by Bill Snyder, USA(Bill Snyder/Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014)

 Winner of the Our Solar System category: Ripples in a Pond by Alexandra Hart, UK(Alexandra Hart/Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014)

 Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 winner: Aurora over a Glacier Lagoon by James Woodend, UK(James Woodend, Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014)

 Overall Winner: The Tourist by Lee Acaster(Lee Acaster)

 Third Place – 2014 Photographer of the Year: Jill Missner, US(Jill Missner)

Second Place – 2014 Photographer of the Year: Jose Luis Barcia Fernandez, Spain(Jose Luis Barcia Fernandez) 

Winner of the Nature category: The Great Migration, by Nicole Cambré. Location: North Serengeti, Tanzania.(Nicole Cambré /National Geographic 2014 Photo Contest)

 Winner of the Places category: Bathing in Budapest, by Triston Yeo. Location: Budapest, Hungary.(Triston Yeo /National Geographic 2014 Photo Contest)

 Winner of the Grand Prize and the People category: A Node Glows in the Dark, by Brian Yen. Location: Hong Kong.
(Brian Yen/National Geographic 2014 Photo Contest)

 Second Place – First Time, by Agnieszka Traczewska, Mea Shearim, Jerusalem, Israel: "In Mea She'arim, an ultra-Orthodox district of Jerusalem, newly married Aaron and Rivkeh are to be together, for the very first time, alone. Their marriage was arranged by families. The 18-year-old couple confirmed the choice after only meeting once. Since then, until their wedding day, they were prohibited to meet or even talk."(Agnieszka Traczewska/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

 Third Place – Diver in Magic Kingdom, by Marc Henauer, Grüner See at Tragöss, Austria: "Green Lake (Grüner See) is located in Tragöss, Austria. In spring snowmelt raises the lake's level about 10 meters. This phenomenon, which lasts only a few weeks, covers the hiking trails, meadows and trees. The result is a magical-to-see diving landscapes."(Marc Henauer/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

 Merit – End of the World, by Sean Hacker Teper, Banos, Ecuador: "This photo, taken at the 'end of the world' swing in Banos, Ecuador, captures a man on the swing overlooking an erupting Mt Tungurahua. The eruption took place on 1 February. Minutes after the photo was taken, we had to evacuate the area because of an incoming ash cloud."(Sean Hacker Teper / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

 Merit - LightSource, by Marcelo Castro, Old Bagan, Myanmar: "Young Monk finds a perfect light source to read his book inside a pagoda."(Marcelo Castro/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

 Merit – Divine Makeover, by Mahesh Balasubramanian, by Kaveripattinam, Tamilnadu, India: "Taken during "The Mayana Soora Thiruvizha" festival takes place every March in the small village of Kaveripattinam, the day after Maha Shivaratri (The Great Night of Shiva). The festival is devoted to Angalamman, a fierce guardian deity worshipped widely in Southern India."(Mahesh Balasubramanian / National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

 Winner, Earth's Environments category: Apocalypse by Francisco Negroni, Chile(Francisco Negroni/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2014)

 Winner, World in our Hands category: The price they pay by Bruno D'Amicis, Italy(Bruno D'Amicis/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2014)

 Winner of the Black-and-White category and Overall Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2014: The last great picture by Michael 'Nick' Nichols, USA(Michael 'Nick' Nichols/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2014)

 First Prize Spot News Single: Phillipe Lopez. 18 November 2013, Tolosa, the Philippines. Survivors of typhoon Haiyan march during a religious procession in Tolosa, on the eastern island of Leyte. One of the strongest cyclones ever recorded, Haiyan left 8,000 people dead and missing and more than four million homeless after it hit the central Philippines (Phillipe Lopez, France, Agence France-Presse)

 First Prize Spot News Stories: Goran Tomasevic. 30 January 2013, Damascus, Syria. Syrian rebel fighters take cover amid flying debris and shrapnel after being hit by a tank shell fired towards them by the Syrian Army in the Ain Tarma neighbourhood of Damascus (Goran Tomasevic, Serbia, Reuters)

 Second Prize Spot News Stories: Tyler Hicks. 21 September 2013, Nairobi, Kenya. A woman and children hiding in the Westgate mall. They escaped unharmed after gunmen had opened fire at the mall on 21 September 2013. At least 39 people were killed in one of the worst terrorist attacks in Kenya's history (Tyler Hicks, USA, The New York Times)

John Stanmeyer has won the World Press Photo of the Year 2013 competition with this photo of African migrants on the shore of Djibouti city at night, raising their phones in an attempt to capture an inexpensive signal from neighbouring Somalia — a tenuous link to relatives abroad (John Stanmeyer, USA, VII for National Geographic)