An Indian soldier from the international peace keeping force (IPKF) instructs young Sri Lankan recruits in shooting, part of the training given to the citizen's volunteer force in the North-Eastern Sri Lankan city of Batticaloa, September 28, 1989. (Photo by Barbara Walton/AP Photo)

The British rock and roll group the Beatles talk to Ed Sullivan at CBS Studio 50 before their live television appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” in New York, February 10, 1964. From left to right are, Sullivan, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, holding a cigarette, and Paul McCartney. (Photo by AP Photo)

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)

Pigeons cool down at a public fountain on a hot summer day at University Plaza in downtown Bucharest, Romania, 10 June 2020. Temperatures in Bucharest reached 30 degrees Celsius. (Photo by Robert Ghement/EPA/EFE)

The comet Neowise, or C/2020 F3, is seen in the evening sky above the artwork titled: “Seven Magic Mountains” by artist Ugo Rondinone, Thursday, July 16, 2020, near Jean, Nev., south of Las Vegas. (Photo by John Locher/AP Photo)

Wind gusts, blowing down King Street, twist umbrellas during Hurricane Ian in Charleston, S.C., on Friday, September 30, 2022. (Photo by Grace Beahm Alford/The Post and Courier via AP Photo)

English-Albanian singer and songwriter Dua Lipa on December 31, 2022. The “One Kiss” singer went full Y2K to usher in 2023, wearing a crystal mesh Ludovic de Saint Sernin dress with a back so low, Lipa’s white thong played peekaboo. (Photo by dualipa/Instagram)

Pope Francis looks at an acrobat of the “Black Blues Brothers” performing during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican, Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022. (Photo by Andrew Medichini/AP Photo)