A girl jumps from a tomb, a day before the nationwide cemetery closure during All Saints' Day amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), at a flooded cemetery in Masantol, Pampanga, Philippines, October 28, 2021. (Photo by Lisa Marie David/Reuters)

Grace Ann Nader, Brooks Nader, Mary Holland Nader and Sarah Jane Nader celebrate their new show “Love Thy Nader” at the top of the Empire State Building in NYC on August 26, 2025. (Photo by Erik Pendzich/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Second Place Winner: “Thunderstorm at False Kiva”. I hiked out to these ruins at night hoping to photograph them with the Milky Way, but instead a thunderstorm rolled through, creating this dramatic image. – Max Seigal. National Geographic Traveler Director of Photography Dan Westergren, one of this year's judges, shares his thoughts on the second place winner: “This photo combines two different scenes into one: the small kiva in a cliff dwelling and the grand vista of Canyonlands National Park across the valley. I really like the two different color palettes – warm inside and purple outside. This two-for-one scene was caused by the lightning storm outside the dwelling, which lit up the landscape like it was a huge electronic flash. Looking at this picture I can imagine what a wonderful sight it must have been for the ancient people who lived here. It doesn't seem too amazing now in our modern world, but might have been mind-blowing for the prehistoric residents”. Location: Utah. (Photo and caption by Max Seigal/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

Under Exposed: Pekka Tuuri (Finland) – Great white shark, Isla Guadalupe, Mexico. “Isla Guadalupe is the world capital when it comes to observing great white sharks, but cage diving seriously limits the possibilities to take ‘fresh’ pictures. When I took this, the water close to the surface was quite milky, making photography very challenging. From out of the “mist”, I saw this great white shark lurking behind a school of fusiliers. I quickly focused on the shark and set a wide aperture to get focus blur on the fish, along with a fast shutter to avoid excessive motion blur”. (Photo by Pekka Tuuri/The Outdoor Photographer of the Year/The Guardian)

French actress Marie Cornillon wearing body paint and a headgear with bull horns, poses in front of the Nimes arena with a sign inscribed “Abolissons la corrida” (Abolish corrida bullfighting) as part of a protest by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) animal rights group to ban bullfighting in France, on November 16, 2022. (Photo by Pascal Guyot/AFP Photo)

Elysia Gonzalez, right, helps Caterine Sanchez adjust her hat inside the ladies room ahead of the Belmont Stakes horse race, Saturday, June 10, 2023, at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y. (Photo by Mary Altaffer/AP Photo)

The sun rises this morning behind the 173ft spire of St Mary's church in the market town of Whittlesey in Cambridgeshire, UK on February 17, 2024. The church dates from the 13th century with the Ashlar faced tower added in the 15th century. (Photo by Andrew McCaren/London News Pictures)

A model has her hair done backstage before a fashion show by Greek designer Mary Katrantzou during the Mercedes-Benz China Fashion Week in Beijing, China, 27 March 2016. The fashion week runs until 31 March. (Photo by How Hwee Young/EPA)