Pangolins in Crisis: Brent Stirton, South Africa; 1st place, Natural world and wildlife. “Pangolins are the world’s most illegally trafficked mammals, with an estimated one million trafficked to Asia in the last 10 years. Their scales are used in traditional Chinese and Vietnamese medicine, and their meat is sold as a high-priced delicacy. As a result, pangolins are listed as critically endangered and anyone who trades or consumes them is breaking the law. This body of work exposes the trade, while exploring aspects of illegality and celebrating the people who are trying to save these animals”. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Sony World Photography Awards 2020)

This screengrab from Thai TV Pool video taken on May 1, 2019 shows a ceremony in which Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn “legally married” Suthida Vajiralongkorn na Ayudhya in Bangkok. Thailand announced on May 1, 2019 that King Maha Vajiralongkorn's long-time consort had become his fourth wife, bestowed with the title Queen Suthida – a surprise move just days before his coronation. (Photo by Bureau of the Royal Household via Reuters)

In this Tuesday, June 4, 2019, photo, a Yamanote Line train travels above commuters walking across the crossing during evening rush hours in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo. Operated by the East Japan Railway Co., the Yamanote Line in Tokyo makes a loop around the center of the city, connecting 29 stations that include key stops such as Shinjuku, Shibuya and Ikebukuro. A complete loop of about an hour offers scenes of Japanese daily lives. (Photo by Jae C. Hong/AP Photo)

A chicken gingerly crosses the double yellow line of a country road near Roseburg in western Oregon, USA on July 16, 2018. (Photo by Robin Loznak/ZUMA Wire/Alamy Live News)

An Iranian girl walks past a mural with Iran's national flag in a street in Tehran, Iran, 03 December 2020. Iranian president Rouhani said that his government does not agree with the parliament's draft bill to quit the nuclear deal, to reduce nuclear commitment and to increase nuclear activities. The development comes after the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh earlier this week. (Photo by Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA/EFE/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Russian soldiers run along Red Square in central Moscow on September 29, 2022, as the square is sealed prior to a ceremony of the incorporation of the new territories into Russia. Russia will formally annex four territories of Ukraine its troops occupy at a grand ceremony in Moscow on Friday, the Kremlin has announced, after Russia suggested it could to use nuclear weapons to defend the territories. (Photo by Alexander Nemenov/AFP Photo)

Farmers play with mud as they plant rice on “National Paddy Day of Nepal” in Dhading district on June 29, 2024. (Photo by Prakash Mathema/AFP Photo)

“These eerily stunning images taken using infrared lighting reveal the landscapes of Iceland in all their natural glory. Andy Lee, 45, uses a special technique which blocks out light from some visible wavelengths and picks up light from others invisible to the naked eye”. – Caters News. Photo: Location: Kirkjufell. These eerily stunning images taken using infrared lighting reveal the landscapes of Iceland in all their natural glory. (Photo by Andy Lee/Caters News)