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)

Kashmiri villagers inspecting a house damaged in a gun battle flee from it after hearing rumors of Indian army soldiers returning back to the site, which turned out to be false, in Kundalan village, some 60 Kilometres south of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, July 10, 2018. Government forces fired at protesters Tuesday in Indian-controlled Kashmir, killing a teenage boy and wounding at least 120 more who had been trying to reach the site of a gunbattle in which soldiers killed two rebels, police and residents said. (Photo by Dar Yasin/AP Photo)

Fireworks explode over a floating Christmas tree in Lagoa Lake in Rio de Janeiro. (Photo by Victor R. Caivano/Associated Press)

A boy flies his kite in a cemetery in the Vila Operaria Favela of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 9, 2016. (Photo by Nacho Doce/Reuters)

A woman participates in the “Carnaval na Central” block party in Rio. (Photo by Felipe Dana/Associated Press)

A brown capuchin monkey holds a fruit in the Botanic Garden of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 5, 2013. (Photo by Pablo Porciuncula/AFP Photo)

Rihanna celebrates by flashing the crowd on July 13, 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Twitter.com)

Japan's Katsuyuki Tanamura reaches for a shot during a Japan men's water polo team training session at the Olympic Aquatics Centre, ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (Photo by Luca Bruno/AP Photo)