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People can't stop talking about this 'brilliant' National Geographic cover

"Brilliant cover. This one will be an icon."

Johnny Lieu

on May 17, 2018

National Geographic has its fair share of affecting, enduring covers, like 1985's "Afghan Girl," arguably the publication's most famous image.

For its June 2018 cover and part of its "Planet or Plastic?" initiative, the magazine published a cover that's been widely shared on the internet and described as "dire" and "brilliant."

Created by Mexican artist Jorge Gamboa, the photo-illustration features a plastic bag partially submerged in the ocean, suggesting that the world's plastic pollution problem is "just the tip of the iceberg."

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Gamboa had submitted the artwork, titled Iceberg Plástico, to Bolivia's Biennial of Poster in 2017, where it won first place in the political and social posters category.

Now gracing National Geographic, the artwork is set to become iconic.