Over the last nine months, 130,000 submissions were sent in for a chance to win a spot as a Top 50 finalist in the #AGORAawards2019… and at long last, the finalists have been revealed.

Photographers from all over the world, professionals and amateurs, have sent in their best work.

From ants balancing the world atop their head to snails kissing lizards, these photos will blow your mind. Photographers traveled all around the world to capture these gems – from the far stretches of Antarctica to the heat of the Sahara Desert.

Lucky for you, there’s no need to leave the comfort of home. You can marvel at the beauty this world has to offer by simply looking through these pictures.

The AGORA Awards 2019 was hosted by the free-to-use photo app AGORA Images. The grand prize winner received $25,000.

While most photo contests include different genres and categories, this unique competition simply awards the single most voted photo of the year.

The fifty finalists come from 21 different countries, and all are hoping to win the grand prize. On November 6th, the official winner will be announced at the AGORA awards ceremony held in Barcelona.

1. Ant Balancing Weight of the World

Photo taken by Analiza De Guzman (@anadgphotography), Philippines

The photographer took his time to capture this photo. In fact, it took four hours to capture this shot of an ant carrying water droplets that were spread on a tiny piece of thread.


2. A Lizard and a Snail Share a Sweet Moment

Photo taken by Andi Halil (@andihalil), Indonesia


3. Hoopoe Bird Feeding Its Chicks

Photo taken by Phyo Moe (@phyomoe), Myanmar


4.Red-eyed Tree Frog on a Rainy Day

Photo taken by Hendy MP (@hendymp), Indonesia




5. Reaching for Heaven

Photo taken by Konrad Paruch (@thedronelad), UK

The Mont Saint Michel in France surrounded by fog


6. Colorful Life

Photo taken by Pranab Basak (@pranab_basak), India

Women hard at work fishing in West Bengal before heading to the market


7. Incense Work

Photo taken by Khánh Phan (@ptkhanhhvnh), Vietnam

In Vietnam, it is believed that incense help connect the living to their ancestors and the Gods.


8. Desert Solitude

Photo taken by Carles Alonso (@carlesalonsophotography), Spain

This picture was captured from atop a high dune in Merzouga, Morocco. It shows Nomads moving through the Sahara Desert.


9. Rainbow Cast Over the Lofoten Islands

Photo taken by Paal Lund (@uglefisk), Norway


10. Sand Wasp Carrying its Prey

Photo taken by Imam Primahardy (@pokokemoto), Indonesia


11. Shipwreck Graveyard

Photo taken by Charlie Berthaume (@charliieb), Monaco

You’re looking at shipwreck graves in Brittany, France. Some of these boats have been here for over 100 years.


12. The Look of Wild

Photo taken by Sergio Saavedra (@saavedraphotography), Spain

Lynx traversing through Cábarceno Natural Park


13. Tumpak Sewu Waterfall, East Java

Photo taken by Jonathan Rogers (@jprphotos), UK




14. Earth’s Veins

Photo taken by Hugo Healy (@hugohealy), UK

This image was captured over East Sussex, where the Cuckmere river splits up the grasslands.


15. The Love of a Mother

Photo taken by Santiago López (@santiagolopezfotografia)

The photographer waited two hours to capture this sentimental photo of a mother loving on her little one at the Tenerife Zoo.


16. Sea Hearts

Photo taken by Nguyen Phan Xuan (@phannguyen5285), Vietnam

Aerial photo shows fishing nets in Vietnam


17. Crabeater Seals Resting on Ice in Antarctica

Photo taken by Florian Ledoux (@florianledoux), France


18. Winter in Mongolia

Photo taken by Zay Yar Lin (@zayyarlin), Myanmar


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Humans have become so greedy that rampant deforestation of amazon, destruction of rainforests around the world, plummeting wildlife population, and plight of animals doesn’t deter the most intelligent species from assaulting the nature and driving humanity to the brink of extinction.

In the latest heartless and cruel display of indifference, animal rescuers caught a weak, frightened, heavily pregnant, and starving orangutan clinging to the final tree as massive bulldozers destroyed her once pristine rainforest home.

Boon-Mee was so weakened and traumatized that she couldn’t leave the tree trunk where she had sought sanctuary as heavy machines ripped apart her home in Borneo. As a result, she could not forage for food to feed herself or her unborn baby, meaning she had nothing to look forward to besides death by starvation.


Luckily, the plantation owners told UK-based charity International Animal Rescue (IAR) about her. Soon, an IAR team backed by local forestry officials was dispatched; when they finally arrived at the scene, they found not just Boon-Mee but three other orangutans.

While Boon-Mee was barely surviving on bark, Charanya had a baby and was desperately searching for food. Kalaya was semi-conscious and lactating; she may have delivered a baby which had either died or had been taken as a pet.

Since Boon-Mee was too weak to climb down the tree, rescuers were forced to shoot her with a tranquilizer before catching her in a net. IAR official Lis Key said:

“It’s heart-breaking to see the appalling state of these animals as their habitat is razed for the palm oil industry – they were weak from hunger. It’s a small comfort that this time rather than chase them off or kill them, the ­company did the right thing and ­contacted us.”




The three adults and one infant were taken to a refuge, where Boon-Mee successfully had her baby. According to the Mirror, all the apes were nursed back to health and later released into the wild deep in another part of the forest. Lis added:

“Despite the condition they were in, they really are the lucky ones. The worst thing is there are hundreds of orangutans who won’t be so lucky because of the awful conditions they are forced to try to survive in.”

Deforestation for palm oil is the leading reason why only 41,000 orangutans are left in Borneo and only 7,500 in Sumatra—the only two places where they can be found. A century ago there were over 230,000 orangutans in Southeast Asia.

Palm oil, a vegetable oil that is extracted from the fruits and seeds of the oil palm, is used in up to half of all processed foods like instant noodles, is increasingly being used as bio-fuel, and is a key ingredient in items like shampoos, detergents, and cosmetics. Roughly 66 million tons of palm oil are produced each year, driving a trend that has seen forests burned and land robbed to make room for plantations.

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The beauty of nature is always simple, but it never stops to amaze us. Here is a Texan family that was lucky enough to see and capture a charming natural masterpiece: a tiny lizard that fell asleep inside a rose.

The lucky Texan family accidentally stumbled upon this miraculous sleeping baby lizard who looks like it’s from a Disney movie! The couple’s daughter brought her mother a rose. When the woman approached it to look closer, she discovered a small lizard comfortably sleeping inside the flower.

The photos, taken by Cmycherrytree, first won the hearts of imgur users and then spread all over the internet, making people squeal “Aww!” The woman herself is amazed at how rare shots like this are, saying that as long as she lives, she will probably never see this again.

© Cmycherrytree / imgur
Bonus: more adorable animals that will hypnotize you with their tenderness!

© I_LIVE_ON_THE_SUN / reddit
© Armsman101 / imgur
© CopyX / reddit
© National Geographic
© eastbayrae / imgur
© CopyX / reddit
© NightFin / reddit
© Anfraxx / reddit
© idle_reaction / reddit
© iluvhotchix / imgur





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A couple in São Paulo adopted a stray dog after the pup crashed their wedding in the most adorable way possible.