A compilation of some of the best entries of the National Geographic Photo Contest 2011.

1. The Best of National Geographic Photo Contest 2011 Compiled by: The Watchable Web Find us:

2. Eruption of the Cordon del Caulle. (© Ricardo Mohr)

3. This is a streetcar in New Orleans traveling back towards The Quarter on St. Charles Ave. I held the camera against the window sill, making sure to divide the image equally between the inside and the outside. (© Don Chamblee)

4. This image captures almost 6 hours of climbing parties on Rainier going for the summit under starry skies. Wind shifts during the night would cause bands of smoke from fires 100 miles away on Mt Hood to pass over Rainier. This intermittent low-level haze caused the red glow seen in the sky and a Rainier that looks like it was almost painted on. Lights from Sunrise can be seen in the lower right of the frame. (© Chris Morin)

5. Copenhagen, The Gemini Towers, private residential building by the river. I had to wait about 2 hrs and hoped some residents would come in or out and kindly let me in. It was worth waiting coz this building its so unreal. (© Elena Baroni)

6. Snow Geese in flight. Kleinfeltersville, Pennsylvania. (© Charles Funk)

7. The awesome power of a tornado displayed in Mapleton, Iowa April 11th, 2011. (© Timothy Wright)

8. Death valley averages just 1.58 inches of rainfall a year. Yet somehow, in my first trip there in four years, we catch a storm. Not just a storm, an electrical storm. At sunset, of all times. This was the reward for years of trips gone awry, blank skies, drenching downpours, and for every other cause of failed photography endeavors. To me, this is an example of the best thing that can happen to a photographer. To be in the right place, at the right time - and to not mess it up too badly. (© Jeff Engelhardt)

9. This image was taken in wintertime in an arid area of the Canadian Rockies. Temperatures were below 30 degrees Celsius, yet because there was no snow fall the surface of the lake was uncovered allowing me to see and capture the bubbles (gas release from lake bed) that were trapped in the frozen waters. (© Emmanuel Coupe-Kalomiris )

10. Flight of an Eagle owl Photo by Mark Bridger A large adult eagle owl in flight. (© Mark Bridger)

11. One morning while on the Big Island of Hawaii, I was exploring my surroundings to see if I could find something to photograph. I almost went back inside when something on this huge palm tree leaf caught my eye. I stayed around and it was this little gecko, startled by my presence he was hidden between the ridges of the leaf. He would pop his head up periodically to check his surroundings; as soon as he saw I was still there he would hide again. We played this game for a while until I got the shot. (© Lorenzo Menendez)

12. Every year around the month of October, Dubai experiences heavy fog due to the still-high humidity and the falling temperatures. With all the new high-rise buildings (including the tallest in the world, Burj Khalifa), this provides a great photographic opportunity. (© Catalin Marin)

13. Climbing the Harding Ice-field trail in the rain, has its rewards. I stopped to admire glacier, only to find an adult black bear eating in front of a glowing blue glacier. (© Colin McCrindle)

14. Nathan Fletcher rides one of the biggest waves ever ridden at Teahupoo, in Tahiti. (© Ted Grambeau)

15. A Rufous humming bird takes a much need break on a pine tree, boasting his beautifully bright chest. (© Cael Cook)

16. At safari not only animals can attract attention. (© Dmitry Gorilovskiy)

17. Lone Tree Yellowstone Photo by Anita Erdmann A solitary tree surviving another harsh winter in Yellowstone National Park. (© Anita Erdmann)

18. This photo was taken in the Upper Antelope Canyon near Page (AZ) and it shows the amazing effect of the sand thrown in the air and struck by the rays of the sun. (© Angiolo Manetti )

19. Morning light breaking through the windows of the 'Temple of Transition' during the Burning Man event 2011. (© Lars Tiemann)