A honour guard soldier gives a flower to a girl on International Women's Day in St. Petersburg, Russia, Friday, March 8, 2024. International Women's Day on March 8 is an official holiday in Russia. Per tradition, men give flowers and gifts to female relatives, friends and colleagues, even though in the past two years flowers have gotten more expensive. Marches, demonstrations and conferences are being held the world over, from Asia to Latin America and elsewhere. (Photo by Dmitri Lovetsky/AP Photo)

The Northern lights (aurora borealis) lights up the night sky above the Molenviergang in Aarlanderveen, the Netherlands, early on 11 May 2024. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of America has warned that the strongest geomagnetic storm for 20 years is set to hit Earth, making the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, visible at much lower geomagnetic latitudes than usual. (Photo by Josh Walet/EPA/EFE/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Jackie Leek takes her giant pet tortoise — an eight-year-old African sulcata called Mr Miyagi — on his regular walk to the Crossing Pub in Morecambe, UK on September 25, 2024. Mr Miyagi, who weighs about three stone and will eventually reach ten, also enjoys caravanning holidays. (Photo by William Lailey/South West News Service)

Jo-Anne McArthur’s book of photographs puts the spotlight on ethics of zoos around the world. Accompanied by essays by Born Free Foundation’s Virginia McKenna and philosopher Lori Gruen, the images and stories are also shared online through “A Year of Captivity”. Here: Asian Elephant, Denmark, 2016. (Photo by Jo-Anne McArthur/Born Free Foundation/The Guardian)

A boy shouts after catching a trout during a trout catching contest in Hwacheon, South Korea, Saturday, January 6, 2018. The contest is part of an annual ice festival which draws over 1,000,000 visitors every year. (Photo by Ahn Young-joon/AP Photo)

Revellers in Newcastle, England on the last Friday before Christmas, December 20, 2019. Black Eye Friday festive mayhem hit the nation; Christmas celebrations kicked off with a bang across the country as revellers flocked to pubs and clubs for the biggest night of the year. (Photo by Scott Heppell/PA Images via Getty Images)

Shortlisted images in the running to be crowned Photobox Instagram photograph of the year range from furry friends to the Holi festival to the meaning of love. Judges, including the Guardian’s former picture editor Eamonn McCabe, have whittled down 180,000 submissions to unearth a shortlist that celebrates the best of social media. Winners will be announced October 3, 2018. Here: Najac, France. Travel shortlist. (Photo by Aaron Jenkin/@aaronjenkin)