Manfrotto, a leading global innovator and manufacturer of premium photo and video support products and accessories, has launched a “Journey Into Nature” photo contest in partnership with National Geographic. The contest, which is hosted on ViewBug.com, offers professional photographers, hobbyists and enthusiasts the opportunity to showcase their best photos of locations showing the beauty of nature. Submissions for the contest will be accepted until July 16, 2014.

Each contest entrant is permitted to submit two entries. Color, black and white and edited photos are all accepted, allowing photographers to fully unleash their creativity while captivating the splendor of nature. Entries will be judged by Lorenz Holder, senior photographer for Pleasure Snowboard Magazine and staff photographer for Nitro Snowboards, on the basis of creativity, originality, and effectiveness in expressing the contest’s nature theme. People’s Choice winners will also be selected through voting on ViewBug.com, beginning on July 16, 2014, through July 31, 2014.

Winners will receive photography bags from National Geographic Earth Explorer Collection. The Earth Explorer Photo Bag Collection reflects National Geographic’s dedication to exploration and conservation. The collection is an ideal blend of today’s protective carrying technology and its traditional ‘explorer’ look and feel is fitting for the criteria of the contest. The bags provide ample room to carry cameras, accessories and personal belongings. Each bag in the collection has solid brass buckles with an antique finish and is manufactured from a variety of environmentally-friendly materials.

The Grand Jury winner will receive the National Geographic Earth Explorer Small Backpack for personal gear, DSLR, accessories and notebooks; the People’s Choice winner will receive a National Geographic Earth Explorer Messenger Medium for DSLR and a 15.4” laptop with a removable insert; the second place winner will receive a National Geographic Earth Explorer Messenger Midi for compact DSLR and an iPad or 9” notebook; the third place winner will receive a National Geographic Earth Explorer Shoulder Bag Slim for iPad and a removable insert for mirrorless camera and two lenses; and the fourth place winner will be awarded a National Geographic Earth Explorer Small Sling Bag. Price value for prizes range from $49.99 to $149.99. Winners will also be featured on ViewBug.com’s blog and social media platforms.

“Manfrotto and National Geographic have a longstanding commitment to giving back to the photography community, and providing its dedicated users with high-quality and fashionable protective bags for their equipment,” said Paul Zakrzewski, Director of Marketing for Manfrotto Distribution, Inc. “The ‘Journey Into Nature’ contest on ViewBug.com serves as a unique way to engage with our customers and share their photography creations. Whether you are a professional photographer or hobbyist, I encourage you to share your favorite photos of nature by entering into the contest, and explore the gallery of submissions for additional inspiration.”

To enter, visit http://www.viewbug.com/contests/journey-into-nature-photo-contest, upload your photo(s) to your ViewBug account, hit the big blue Submit Photo button, and choose the photos you’d like to enter into the contest. The contest is now live and ready for submissions.

For additional information or to learn more about Manfrotto’s photo and video products and accessories, visit www.manfrotto.us. Follow Manfrotto on Facebook at www.facebook.com/manfrotto.imagine.more or on Twitter @manfrotto_us. Check out National Geographic’s bag collections at http://www.geographicbags.us/.

Logo courtesy Manfrotto