National Geographic Traveller Photography Competition: Finalists announced

The overall Grand Prize winner will be announced on 14 February

"Son Doong Cave, located deep in the Vietnamese jungle, is the world’s biggest cave and was only explored for the first time in 2009. It’s so big it has its own weather system and a Boeing 747 could fly through its largest cavern. This photo shows some me (National Geographic)

Penguins, bear costumes and the world's largest cave all appear among the finalists' images of this year’s National Geographic Traveller (UK) Photography Competition.

Photographers submitted their entries for one of six categories: Action, Animal, People, River, Rural, and Urban. The category finalists have been named, with the overall Grand Prize winner due to be announced on 14 February.

The finalists for each category are:

Action: Yanick Targonski, Train from Ella to Kandy (Sri Lanka).

Animal: Barry Robertson, Bleaker Island (Falklands).

People: Alecsandra Raluca Dragoi, New Year’s Traditions (Comanesti, Romania).

Rural: Chris Miller, Son Doong Cave (Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Vietnam).

Urban: Philip Braude, Urban Trees (London).

River: Claire Carter, Reflections on a Melting River (Rio de las Vueltas, Argentinian Patagonia).

The 18 images shortlisted in this year’s competition, including the six finalists and Grand Prize winner will be on display at theprintspace gallery in Shoreditch, London from 20 February to 4 March 2015.

And for the first time selected works from the 2015 shortlist are available to buy online as prints.