20 Of The Best Photos From The EyeEm Awards So Far

Photography contests -- from the Sony World Photography Awards to the National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest to the CBRE Urban Photographer of the Year competition to the iPhone Photography Awards -- give us a glimpse into moments big and small across the globe.

We might not have been there to experience them, but thanks to the professional and amateur artists who submit their images, we can take a peek into the sublime and mundane bits of human life around the world.

The 2015 EyeEm Awards, a contest run by the photo app community known as EyeEm, is proving that it's no slouch when it comes to illuminating life in places like Azerbaijan, South Africa, Russia, and more. EyeEm recently announced the finalists for its competition, which began in May, choosing 100 staggering images from a pool of over 200,000 photographs submitted by users. "The winners from all corners of the globe have produced images that tell powerful stories," contest judge and photojournalist Ron Haviv noted in a statement for EyeEm. "Here is more proof that the power of the camera lives on to touch us all."

While we wait until Sept. 18 -- the day the EyeEm Photographer of the Year and the winners of the 10 distinct categories are announced -- take a gander at the gorgeous pictures in the running so far.

All images courtesy of EyeEm.

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