Sneak Peak: International Photo Contest

Unexpected discoveries can often lead to photographs that inspire, like this view of Easter Island moai from an unusual angle. Through the end of October, National Geographic wants your photos for its 2009 International Photography Contest. Submit photos in the People, Places or Nature categories and you could win a digital camera kit and get your photograph published in the pages of National Geographic magazine.

It costs $12 to enter each photo; you can submit up to six by October 31, 2009. Editors will judge for creativity and quality. Winners will be announced in early December.

In the meantime, you could download some of the editors' picks here for your computer wallpaper, rate images on a scale from one to ten, or put together a jigsaw puzzle of a photograph as you race the clock.

Photo: Easter Island by Jerry Zelko, National Geographic International Photo Contest, Sept. Week 3, Places