15 of the best animal photos from 2020
It's stunning to see wild animals up close — especially when they're caught in the beauty of their natural surroundings. Agora, a photo app, challenged its users to submit their best animal pics of 2020, to be voted on by their users. The most popular snap would earn its photographer $1,000. With some serious scratch on the line, Agora said it received 13,888 submissions displaying the "precious variety of animal life surrounding us." "Photography is a powerful medium to generate empathy and a deeper understanding of the world surrounding us," said Octavi Royo, Agora CEO, in a press release. "Only one species living on Earth can choose what the future will look like, and that species is us!" The big winner ended up being an image of an iguana taken by the user @jjnmatt. Below you'll find that image, plus the other finalists, and a few of our favorites to enjoy.  The winning image. Credit: @jjnmatt / agora The second, third, fourth, and fifth place finishers — as seen below — were also pretty amazing.  This top-five photo capture a family of elephants. Credit: @mannylibrodo / Agora  Titled "Honor Fight," this image couldn't have been better timed. Credit: @jordisark / agora  This photo of a reindeer is so gorgeous it hardly looks real. Credit: @dangthao / Agora  Stunning image a cattle trotting through a field of heather in bloom. Credit: @glennanthonie / Agora That rounds out the top five slots in the Agora contest, but we couldn't help including a few of our other favorites from the Top 50. Here are 10 more pictures of animals we really loved.  Look at this chimp, posing like it knows what's up. Credit: @mohamedtazi / Agora  OK, this photo is beautiful but I also feel like the photographer shouldn't have stuck around to take it. Credit: @pitokung / Agora  This is just cool. Credit: @alan_gallo / Agora  Unbearably cute. Credit: @olmospatricia / Agora  A big ol' orangutan. Credit: @adingkuswara / Agora  This photo was titled "Shadow Game" for obvious reasons. Credit: @borsch / agora  This Icelandic horse is fashionable as hell. Credit: @samuelemiccoli / Agora  An adorable rhesus macaque wants a snack. Credit: @beyond_imagina / Agora  Sea turtles are so dope. Credit: @makyandmatt / Agora  This picture was titled "Friends." Get it? Credit: @superiaia / Agora |