A lion statue that sits outside the New York Public Library building wears a mask in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., September 28, 2020. (Photo by Carlo Allegri/Reuters)

People watch the Macy's Fourth of July fireworks at the Edge at Hudson Yards on Thursday, July 4, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Yuki Iwamura/AP Photo)

Bra-clad Uber passenger was caught on camera stealing from a driver’s tip jar, while brazenly looking into the car’s security camera in New York City, USA in August (issued November 7, 2017). The unnamed rider was with two others. When they got out she looked around as she grabbed dollars out of the jar. The driver then looked down after the three got out, but it was too late. The publication later reported that the woman’s name is Gabita, and she’s 18 years old. (Photo by YouTube/The Epochtimes)

Felipe Dana discovered photography at age 15 when he started working as an assistant for event and commercial photographers. At the close of 2009, he decided to focus his career solely on photojournalism. Dana has focused his work on documenting the consequences of social changes in slums due to upcoming major sports events scheduled for 2014 and 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, where he currently lives and works as a staff photographer for The Associated Press. Photo: A model wears a creation from the Triya summer collection during Fashion Rio in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, April 19, 2013. (Photo by Felipe Dana/AP Photo)

Sjinkie Knegt of Netherlands, left, and Park Se-Yeong of South Korea crash out as they compete in a men's 1500m short track speedskating final at the Iceberg Skating Palace during the 2014 Winter Olympics, Monday, February 10, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. (Photo by Bernat Armangue/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)

In this Sunday, September 23, 2012 file photo, masked and armed Somali pirate Hassan stands near a Taiwanese fishing vessel washed ashore after the pirates were paid a ransom and the crew were released in the once-bustling pirate den of Hobyo, Somalia. Pirates have hijacked an oil tanker off the coast of Somalia, Somali officials and piracy experts said Tuesday, March 14, 2017, in the first hijacking of a large commercial vessel there since 2012. (Photo by Farah Abdi Warsameh/AP Photo)

A student works on her skills during an acrobatics class near the pier in Huntington Beach, CA on Monday, August 17, 2020. Instructors at the Orange County Performing Arts Academy decided to bring the class to the beach from Anaheim Hills to beat the heat and give the students an end of the summer treat. (Photo by Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP Photo)