Alluvial Fan, China. A vast alluvial fan blossoms across the desolate landscape between the Kunlun and Altun mountain ranges that form the southern border of the Taklimakan Desert in China’s XinJiang Province. Image taken by the ASTER instrument on NASA’s Terra satellite on May 2nd, 2002. (Photo by NASA/GSFC/USGS EROS Data Center)

Breath of an Arctic fox by Marco Gaiotti, Italy. Marco was watching this little Arctic fox as it incessantly called another nearby. Gradually he noticed the fox’s wet breath was quickly freezing in the air after each call. It was late winter in Spitsbergen, Svalbard, and the air was -35C (-31F). Photographing Arctic foxes is often frustrating, as they are normally running around fast in search of food, but this one was very relaxed and let Marco get close enough to focus on it, with the light glowing perfectly in the background. (Photo by Marco Gaiotti/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2021)

“Honorable Mention”. An Indian rhinoceros, far from home and stuck inside with late-winter blues at the Toronto zoo. Photo location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo and caption by Stephen De Lisle/National Geographic Photo Contest)

These are the explosive images of some of the world's most ASH-stonishing volcanic eruptions. Spectacular snaps capture lava spewing down the side of Kilauea, ash spitting from craters and plumes of smoke rising thousands of feet in the air. Russian non-profit AirPano travel the globe taking the breath-taking panoramic images, compiled in this series displaying their most stunning volcanic shoots. Included in the set – which spans four continents – are images from across the United States, Iceland, Russia, Ethiopia and Indonesia. To capture the 360-degree images, AirPano photographers spend around two hours in a helicopter, sending out drones to capture the action below. Here: Volcano Plosky Tolbachik, Kamchatcka, Russia. (Photo by Airpano/Caters News)

Winner. “I took this picture of a woman in traditional clothing in Cartagena, Colombia”. PAUL GOLDSTEIN, JUDGE: “The blaze of colour from every angle, the boldness of the picture, taken from behind, which gives it so much more allure and frankly a superb get up. Did I mention the colours? Oh, and that looks suspiciously like a Nokia”. (Photo by Stanislav Shmelev/The Guardian)

Over the years a large population of grey herons have made an unlikely home in urban Amsterdam. Julie Hrudova documents how the birds integrate into city life. Here: Hundreds of herons come to the city during winter to find food and shelter. (Photo by by Julie Hrudova/The Guardian)

A narrow strip of clouds illuminated in the light of sunset before approaching rain clouds over an alley near Sieversdorf district Oder-Spree, Brandenburg, Germany on July 14, 2016. (Photo by Patrick Pleul/DPA)

A labourer pulls a cart loaded with sacks of spices at a wholesale spice and chemical market in the old quarters of Delhi, India, December 19, 2016. Picture taken December 19, 2016. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)