Guardian of the Mangroves – Overall Winner. Tanya Houppermans, Cuba. A curious American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) swims right up to Tanya, at Gardens of the Queen (Jardines De La Reina), an archipelago off the coast of Cuba. It has been strictly protected since 1996, and is one of the most untouched marine ecosystems in the world. ‍ “The healthy population of American crocodiles is down to the pristine condition of the mangroves and I wanted to capture close ups of this gentle giant in its natural habitat. I hope this image can illustrate that protecting areas like this is so critical”. (Photo by Tanya Griffin Houppermans/Mangrove Photographer of the Year)

Former Mujahideen hold weapons to support Afghan forces in their fight against Taliban, on the outskirts of Herat province, Afghanistan on July 10, 2021. (Photo by Jalil Ahmad/Reuters)

British singer and songwriter Ella Eyre performing on stage at Capital's Summertime Ball 2022 at Wembley Stadium in London, United Kingdom on June 12, 2022. (Photo by David Fisher/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Medical staff celebrate after all patients were discharged at a temporary hospital set up to treat people with the COVID-19 coronavirus in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on March 9, 2020. China closed most of its makeshift hospitals for coronavirus patients, some schools reopened and Disney resort staff went back to work on March 9 as normality slowly returns to the country after weeks battling the epidemic. (Photo by AFP Photo/China Stringer Network)

A man holds his umbrella during snowfall on the Areopagitou pedestrian street beneath the Acropolis hill during snowfall in Athens, Greece, January 10, 2017. (Photo by Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters)

A traditional high altitude bonfire burns on the occasion of the Swiss National Day on the “Stanserhorn” mountain near Stans, Switzerland, Sunday, August 1, 2021. (Photo by Urs Flueeler/Keystone via AP Photo)

Kazakh law enforcement officers detain a woman during a protest rally by opposition supporters in Nur-Sultan on September 21, 2019. (Photo by Orken Zhoyamergen/Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

A taxi driver waits for passengers inside his taxi parked on the side of a deserted road during the first day of the two-day state-imposed lockdown as a preventive measure against the surge in COVID-19 coronavirus cases in Kolkata on August 20, 2020. (Photo by Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP Photo)