Nature – first prize, stories. Pandemic Pigeons – A Love Story. The photographer’s daughter, Merel, cowers after Dollie flies past and perches on the balcony before entering the house in Vlaardingen in the Netherlands on 6 April 2020. “She’s still frightened when Dollie suddenly lands on the balcony railing. I hide my smile behind the camera, as I try to comfort her by saying they won’t hurt you. “I thought he was going to attack me”, she replies. As the nesting pigeons keep coming back to our place, slowly my girls have started to appreciate them – perhaps not as much as I do, but it’s a start”. (Photo by Jasper Doest/World Press Photo 2021)

Runner-up. “The heavens opened and the streets around Shibuya, Tokyo, were suddenly drenched in even more colour and movement. I was taking photos (my friend was holding the umbrella) when I noticed this woman at the crossing. I’m pleased with the futuristic feel of the image”. (Photo by Katherine Bridgestock/The Guardian)

Merit: A Night at Deadvlei. The night before returning to Windhoek, we spent several hours at Deadveli. The moon was bright enough to illuminate the sand dunes in the distance, but the skies were still dark enough to clearly see the milky way and magellanic clouds. Deadveli means “dead marsh. The camelthorn trees are believed to be about 900 years old, but have not decomposed because the environment is so dry. (Photo and caption by Beth McCarley/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

In this photo taken October 16, 2012 and provided by Oracle Team USA, crew members of the capsized Oracle Team USA AC72 boat are rescued after being swept past the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. The America's Cup champion syndicate is assessing the damage to its 72-foot catamaran, after it capsized and was swept by a strong current more than four miles past the Golden Gate Bridge before rescue boats could control it. (Photo by Guilain Grenier/Oracle Team USA/Associated Press)

American model Emily Ratajkowski attends Game 5 of the NBA Playoffs, New York Knicks v Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden in New York, USA on June 2, 2021. (Photo by Startraks Photo/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

The winners of the Historic Photographer of the Year Awards 2020 from triphistoric.com celebrate the places and cultural sites around the world that offer a window to the history that exists all around us. This year, restricted by Covid, photographers were called on to scour their photographic archive to share their imagery of those places that dominate our past. Here: The Brighton Palace Pier. (Photo by Michael Marsh/Historic Photographer of the Year 2020)

The Indiana Pacemates perform during an NBA game between the Indiana Pacers and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on January 14, 2025. (Photo by USA Today)

Pascal Siakam #43 of the Indiana Pacers dunks against Jalen Williams #8 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the third quarter in Game Six of the 2025 NBA Finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on June 19, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)