2022 in review: National Geographic Pictures of the Year issue showcases 118 photographs from around the world

Millions of photographs are submitted but only a few are selected for a spot in the coveted magazine, and this year, a new contest is opening up to the public for a chance to be featured.

After reviewing more than 2 million images captured from the field in 2022, National Geographic editors handpicked only a few dozen for the third annual edition of the magazine's "Year in Pictures" issue.

[Ads /]
Each photograph tells its own compelling story, serving as small excepts in the anthology of life in 2022.

This includes images taken in a Polish border town after Russia's invasion of Ukraine and at the site of NASA's historic moon rocket launch.

After Russia invaded Ukraine, Anastasia Taylor- Lind traveled to Przemyśl, a Polish town near the border, and spoke with displaced Ukrainians like Ludmyla Kuchebko, 72.

Anastasia Taylor-Lind/National Geographic

Draped in morning mist, NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) looms over Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39B in March 2022 as the rocket awaits testing.

Dan Winters/National Geographic

Nearly every continent is covered in this selection, with locations ranging from 29,032 feet in elevation for the first all-Black Mount Everest expedition to 9,869 feet in depth of the Endurance shipwreck.

At sunset on April 27, 2022, Evan Green caught climber Thomas Moore walking amid the tents pitched at Camp I framed by Everest (at left), Lhotse (center) and Nuptse (at right).

Evan Green

Some NatGeo photographers deployed inventive techniques to capture these images, like Ben Depp, who used a powered paraglider to document Louisiana's coast. One tripod was even taken by a hyena when Jen Guyton was photographing the animals in Kenya.
[Ads /]

A spotted hyena that scientists nicknamed Palazzo submissively grins and lays her ears back as Moulin Rouge, the clan's dominant female at the time, towers over her.

Jen Guyton/National Geographic

"Over the last number of years, we've been working really hard to engage photographers who are based all over the world because their stories and their perspective really matter and make the storytelling stronger," Whitney Johnson Latorre, vice president of Visuals and Immersive Experiences for National Geographic Media, told Good Morning America.

Quannah Rose Chasinghorse, a model and activist who advocates for concerns of Indigenous peoples,
raises her fist to honor “the resistance and fight of my ancestors."

Kiliii Yuyan/National Geographic

After lying dormant for 800 years, Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula erupted twice in less than 17 months, most recently at 1:18 p.m. on Aug. 3, 2022.

Chris Burkhard/National Geographic

Blue-and-yellow macaws perch on a rooftop in Caracas, Venezuela, waiting to be fed by locals.

Alejandro Cegarra/National Geographic

WATCH | Our America: Reclaiming Turtle Island

Our America: Reclaiming Turtle Island | Full Episode

And this year, National Geographic is inviting readers to submit pictures from their photo libraries for a chance to be included in the magazine!
[Ads /]
One lucky grand-prize winner will be included in an upcoming issue of National Geographic magazine (the United States edition) and receive a six-month digital subscription to the magazine.

Up to 10 honorable mention winners will have their photo included on National Geographic's YourShot Instagram account, with more than 6.5 million followers, and receive a six-month digital subscription to the magazine. Click here to learn more about the contest.

University of Virginia neuroscientists record the brain activity of nine-month-old Ian Boardman while brushing his skin to activate nerve fiber responses.

Lynn Johnson/National Geographic

Around Vostok and other southern Line Islands, in the remote central Pacific, abundant small reef fish support a thriving population of top predators.

Enric Sala/National Geographic

"The warmth I felt in Durban was so refreshing," Lawrence says. Unathi Madalane (at left) and Tshiamo Maretela enjoy the beach.

Wayne Lawrence/National Geographic

Check out more memorable images that captured this year in December's Pictures of the Year issue and at natgeo.com/photos.

The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of National Geographic Partners and this ABC station.

Report a correction or typo

2022 in Photos: A look inside National Geographic's Pictures of the Year issue