A zoo employee carries three-month-old female giant panda cub, born to mother Liang Liang and father Xing Xing, on display to the public for the first time at the national zoo in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, November 17, 2015. (Photo by Olivia Harris/Reuters)

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)

An alligator and his reflection seen in the Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Delray Beach, Florida on May 2, 2024. The wetlands attract nature lovers and wildlife photographers and are home to more than 140 bird species and a variety of other wildlife. (Photo by Ronen Tivony/ZUMA Press Wire/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

“These dolly birds are showing off the latest haute COO-ture in a stunning set of images that portray everyday pigeons as fashion models. The series, titled “Darwin’s Pigeons”, was snapped by British photographer Richard Bailey, who was looking to capture the birds’ photogenic side as a tribute to the Father of Evolution himself, who it is believed was fascinated by the birds”. – Caters News. Photo: Old Dutch Capucine. Darwin’s Pigeons series. (Photo by Photo by Richard Bailey/Caters News)

A small flock of birds seems to be giving an escort to an airliner on final approach to Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia on January 12, 2022. The scene took place over Gravelly Point which is an area within the National Park Service's George Washington Memorial Parkway. (Photo by Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post)

“The Last Pollen Spore Preparing to Leave a Ladybug Trying to Hold On, Because It Didn't Want to Be Alone”. Photo by Hiep Nguyen Hoang (Hanoi, Vietnam). Photographed in Hanoi, Vietnam, April 2012.

People socialising in Soho, central London on July 11, 2020, after the lifting of further coronavirus lockdown restrictions in England. Revellers are urged to remember the importance of social distancing as pubs gear up for the second weekend of trade since the lifting of lockdown measures. (Photo by Stefan Rousseau/PA Images via Getty Images)

A chimpanzee looks in the direction of a camera at the Gut Aiderbichl Sanctuary for Traumatized Chimpanzees and other Primates in Gaenserndorf, near Vienna, 17 September 2018. 34 former laboratory chimpanzees of former Austrian pharmaceutical company Immuno AG spend their lives at the Gut Aiderbichl Sanctuary for Traumatized Chimpanzees and other Primates since 2009. (Photo by Christian Bruna/EPA/EFE)