Pangolins in Crisis: Brent Stirton, South Africa; 1st place, Natural world and wildlife. “Pangolins are the world’s most illegally trafficked mammals, with an estimated one million trafficked to Asia in the last 10 years. Their scales are used in traditional Chinese and Vietnamese medicine, and their meat is sold as a high-priced delicacy. As a result, pangolins are listed as critically endangered and anyone who trades or consumes them is breaking the law. This body of work exposes the trade, while exploring aspects of illegality and celebrating the people who are trying to save these animals”. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Sony World Photography Awards 2020)

A college girl takes part in the Holi festival celebrations in Bhopal, India, 19 March 2019. Holi is celebrated on the full moon day and marks the beginning of the spring season. Holi will be celebrated as the Hindu spring festival of colors across the country on 21 March. (Photo by Sanjeev Gupta/EPA/EFE)

A day-old lamb exploring new surroundings on the vernal equinox, considered the first day of spring, on March 20, 2019 at Coombes Farm in Lancing, England. (Photo by Andrew Hasson/Getty Images)

A person suspected of looting is beaten by protesters during demonstrations to mark the first anniversary of the deadly 2024 anti-government protests that drew widespread condemnation over the use of force by security agencies, in Nakuru, Kenya on June 25, 2025. (Photo by Suleiman Mbatiah/Reuters)

Chinese female troops march during a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on September 3, 2025. (Photo by Pedro Pardo/AFP Photo)

London Mayor Boris Johnson takes part in a tug of war with members of the armed services to launch the London Poppy Day, outside City Hall, in London, October 27, 2015. London Poppy Day is a street collection event to raise money for serving and retired members of the armed services and their families. (Photo by Stefan Wermuth/Reuters)

“Sniff out the Appenzell Cheese”. Alexander Hunter, 30, of Greenwich, Conn., took this photo in Appenzell, Switzerland, in September 2014. (Photo by Alexander Hunter)

These images show off some of the world's most majestic creatures silhouetted against the beautiful rising and setting sun. The vibrant pictures feature a variety of animals in the wild and were taken by a host of photographers at locations around the world. The striking images all have one thing in common: the photographers' awe-inspiring ability to perfectly capture the silhouettes of earth's beautiful creatures. Here: a blue wildebeest moves through grassland at dawn with the sun in the background in Mara Naboisho Conservancy, Kenya, Africa. (Photo by Renato Granieri/Caters News/Ardea)