The winning photo in the 2012 National Geographic Photo Contest does not disappoint.

Photographer Ashley Vincent of Chonburi, Thailand, took home this year's top honor: a $10,000 prize and trip to National Geographic's headquarters in Washington, D.C.

The winning photo shows a tigress named Busaba shaking herself dry at Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand. Vincent, who has taken many photos of Busaba before, was looking for a new way to capture the tigress in her habitat when the opportunity presented itself. After going for a dip in her private pool, Busaba climbed out and began shaking the water off her fur coat.

"In all humility I have to say that Mother Nature smiled favorably on me that day," Vincent told National Geographic.

According to National Geographic, photographers from at least 150 countries submitted more than 22,000 photos to this year's contest. Though Vincent won the grand prize, National Geographic recognized winners in other categories, including first place and viewer's choice for "People" and "Places," along with several honorable mentions.

Check out the 2012 winners of the National Geographic photo contest in the gallery below.

(Captions and images by individual photographers, courtesy of National Geographic.)

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  • Grand Prize: The Explosion!

    "The subject's name is Busaba, a well cared for Indochinese Tigress whose home is at Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Thailand. I had taken many portraits of Busaba previously and it was becoming more and more difficult to come up with an image that appeared any different to the others. Which is why I took to observing her more carefully during my visits in the hope of capturing something of a behavioral shot. The opportunity finally presented itself while watching Busaba enjoying her private pool then shaking herself dry. In all humility I have to say that Mother Nature smiled favorably on me that day!" <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/photo-contest/">2012 National Geographic Photography Contest</a>

  • First Place For Places: The Matterhorn

    "The Matterhorn 4478 m at full moon." <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/photo-contest/">2012 National Geographic Photography Contest</a>

  • First Place For People: Amongst the Scavengers

    "At the end of the day women are allowed to pick through the dumpsite." <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/photo-contest/">2012 National Geographic Photography Contest</a>

  • Viewers’ Choice For Places: Iceberg Hunters

    "Chipping ice off an iceberg is a common way for the Inuit community to retrieve fresh drinking water while on the land. During a weekend long hunting trip, we came upon this majestic iceberg frozen in place. It was a perfect opportunity to grab enough ice and drinking water for the remainder of the trip." <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/photo-contest/">2012 National Geographic Photography Contest</a>

  • Viewers’ Choice For People: Expedition Amundsen

    "A race that follows in the path of the famous explorer Roald Amundsen brings the contestants to the Hardangervidda Mountainplateu, Norway. 100km across the plateau, the exact same route Amundsen used to prepare for his South Pole expedition in 1911 is still used by explorers today. Amundsen did not manage to cross the plateau and had to turn back because of bad weather. He allegedly said that the attempt to cross Hardangervidda was just as dangerous and hard as the conquering of the South Pole. The group in the picture used the race as preparations for an attempt to cross Greenland." <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/photo-contest/">2012 National Geographic Photography Contest</a>

  • Viewers’ Choice For Nature: Tender Moment

    "Everyday in mara starts with something new and different and day ends with memorable experiences with spectacular photographs. I was very lucky of sighting and photographing Malaika the name of female Cheetah and her cub. She is well known for its habit to jump on vehicles. She learned that from her mother Kike, and Kike from her mother Amber. Like her mother she is teaching lessons to her cub. Teaching lessons means addition of another moment for tourist. This is one of the tender moment between Malaika and her cub. I was very lucky to capture that moment." <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/photo-contest/">2012 National Geographic Photography Contest</a>

  • Honorable Mention: Red Fox Catching Mouse Under Snow

    "With his exceptional hearing a red fox has targeted a mouse hidden under 2 feet of crusted snow. Springing high in the air he breaks through the crusted spring snow with his nose and his body is completely vertical as he grabs the mouse under the snow." <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/photo-contest/">2012 National Geographic Photography Contest</a>

  • Honorable Mention: Chinese Traditional Dragon Boat Racing

    "Dragon boating is a chinese traditional entertainment. As an aquatic sport to memorise qu yuan, a patriotic poet in ancient china, it is usually held in festivals, which can be traced back to two thousand years ago." <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/photo-contest/">2012 National Geographic Photography Contest</a>

  • Honorable Mention: East of Iceland

    "Glacial ice washes ashore after calving off the Brei amerkurjˆkull glacier on Iceland's eastern coast. During the waning light of summer this image was created over the course of a four-minute exposure while the photographer backlit the grounded glacial ice with a headlamp for two of those four minutes." <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/photo-contest/">2012 National Geographic Photography Contest</a>

  • Honorable Mention: Captive

    "Yayasan Galuh Rehabilitation Center is and impoverished mental health facility based in Bekasi, Indonesia that hosts over 250 patients. Most come from poor families no longer interested in managing their condition, or are unable. Some patients are homeless, deposited after being taken off streets by police The only medical treatment received is for skin conditions. No assessments, psychotherapy or psychiatric medications is available. Over one-third of the patients are shackled in chains. These measures are implemented to those thought to be violent, uncontrolable and dangerous." <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/photo-contest/">2012 National Geographic Photography Contest</a>

  • Honorable Mention: Eerie Eiffel

    "The winter gloomy day worked to my advantage to create this eerie feeling of the famous landmark Eiffel tower." <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/photo-contest/">2012 National Geographic Photography Contest</a>

  • Honorable Mention: Predation Up Close And Personal

    "I was surrounded by thousands of fish that moved in synchrony because of the predation that was happening. It was an incredible experience." <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/photo-contest/">2012 National Geographic Photography Contest</a>

  • Honorable Mention: Ursus Arctos Horribilis

    "This photo of a wild, Alaskan, brown bear digging on a game trail was taken with a homemade motion-controlled triggering device hooked up to my DSLR." <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/photo-contest/">2012 National Geographic Photography Contest</a>

  • Honorable Mention: Stilt Fishing

    "Stilt fishing is a typical fishing technique only seen in Sri Lanka. The fishermen sit on a cross bar called a petta tied to a vertical pole planted into the coral reef. This long exposure shot shows how unstable their position is." <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/photo-contest/">2012 National Geographic Photography Contest</a>

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