WASHINGTON, Feb 16 — A striking photo of a boy in a bear costume as part of a New Year’s ritual in Romania has won this year’s National Geographic Traveller UK’s annual photo competition.

Shot by Alecsandra Raluca Dragoi, the candid image freeze-frames the raw, angular expression of a young boy as he dons — or removes — his bear head hood during a traditional New Year bear dance in Comanesti, Romania.

“Participants dress in furs which have been preserved for hundreds of years — they’re not from bears killed as part of the ‘ritual’ nor were they killed especially for it. The bear is a symbol for Romania, and when I discovered this tradition, I was fascinated,” explained Dragoi.

For the first time this year, the shortlist of winning images will also be available for purchase as high-quality prints.

Winning shots will also be on display at theprintspace in London between February 20 and March 4.

A photo of a train traveling in rural Sri Lanka; a choreographed photo set in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in Vietnam; and the frozen Rio de las Vueltas in Argentina were among the finalists in categories such as action, animal, people, rural, urban and river.

View the winning photos at http://www.natgeotraveller.co.uk/photo-competition-2015/shortlists/. — AFP-Relaxnews