A man fires a weapon as he dances during a traditional excursion near the western Saudi city of Taif, August 8, 2015. Saudis usually party in such excursions as they celebrate weddings or graduations. (Photo by Mohamed Al Hwaity/Reuters)

British Waters Wide Angle category runner-up. Grass snake swimming along a garden pond by Jack Perks (UK)in Nottinghamshire, UK. “I’m always on the lookout for unusual freshwater subjects and grass snakes are a species I’ve been after for years. I was told about a pond where the odd grass snake hangs around the lilly pads for frogs. I put my drysuit on and got into the water and could see one slithering along the surface. Slowly making my way towards it with my head only just poking above I got the spilt shot”. (Photo by Jack Perks/Underwater Photographer of the Year 2019)

“A dirty thunderstorm (also, Volcanic lightning) is a weather phenomenon that occurs when lightning is produced in a volcanic plume. Dirty thunderstorms have been reported in Chile above the Chaiten Volcano, above Alaska's Mount Augustine volcano, and Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano”.

Photo: A cloud of ash pours from Puyehue volcano in southern Chile, at sunset on June 5, 2011. (Claudio Santana/AFP)

A woman on her hen day reacts as members of the public enjoy a drink in the Grassmarket as lockdown measures are eased on April 26, 2021 in Edinburgh, United Kingdom. Cafes, beer gardens, non-essential shops and museums are reopening in Scotland today as lockdown easing continues. (Photo by Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images)

Firefighters and military officials rescue one of the missing residents from the underground parking lot of an apartment building in Nam-gu, Pohang-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, which was submerged in heavy rain caused by Typhoon Hinnamno in Pohang, South Korea, 07 September 2022. According to fire authorities, two people were rescued alive and three bodies found out of seven people who were reportedly missing in the incident. (Photo by Kim Hee-Chul/EPA/EFE)

A golden huddle by Minqiang Lu, China. Two females and a male golden snub-nosed monkey huddle together to keep warm in the extreme cold. Threatened by forest loss and fragmentation, this endangered species is confined to central China. Restricted to living high up in the temperate forests, these monkeys – here in the Qinling mountains in Shaanxi province – feed mostly in the trees, on leaves, bark, buds and lichen. In heavy wind and snow, Minqiang walked up the mountain carrying his equipment. He stayed for half an hour in temperatures of –10C opposite the tree where the group was huddled before achieving this eye-level composition. (Photo by Minqiang Lu/Wildlife Photographer of the Year)

Morocco player Yassine Bounou's son, Isaac, plays on the pitch after the country's World Cup win against Portugal at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar on December 10, 2022. (Photo by Carl Recine/Reuters)

A lynx cub that followed a villager in the forest, is fed by a mother and her son for 2 days at the Koyulhisar district of Sivas, Turkiye on October 4, 2023. After 2 days, the lynx cub was taken under protection by the Sivas Department of Nature Conservation and National Parks teams. (Photo by Serhat Zafer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)