Puppies, pugs and the perfect antidote to political pandemonium, it’s the Kennel Club’s dog photographer of the year competition. Here: Jamie Morgan’s two Afghan hounds won first place in the portrait category. (Photo by Jamie Morgan/PA Wire)

Some of the best entries so far in the 2016 Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition. There are two weeks left to enter, and the winners will be announced in September. Here: Aurora over Laksvatn Fjord, Laksvatn, Norway. The aurora borealis dances in the skies over the town of Laksvatn, with the Milky Way to the left. The image is a single shot with no compositing, only post-processing to bring out the aurora, and some colour corrections. The photographer Matt Walford said: “I love the way the northern lights look like they are just wistfully dancing over the fjord, framed by the mountains on either side”. (Photo by Matt Walford/National Maritime Museum)

A dog rides a wave during the Surf City Surf Dog competition in Huntington Beach, California, U.S., September 25, 2016. The dogs compete in contest categories ranging from small to extra large, to two dogs on a board, as well as owner and dog. (Photo by Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)

Athlete: Aaron Chase Location: Brooklyn, NY, United States. Image is from the Red Bull Illume Image Quest 2016 contest. Category Winner: New Creativity. (Photo by Ale Di Lullo/Red Bull Illume)

A devotee of the Chinese Jui Tui shrine takes with his mouth pierced with spikes takes part in a procession celebrating the annual vegetarian festival in Phuket, Thailand October 7, 2016. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)

Dani (L) and Bella Thorne arrive at the 2016 American Music Awards in Los Angeles, California, U.S., November 20, 2016. (Photo by Danny Moloshok/Reuters)

A woman and a girl dressed in historical Red Army uniform, wait before watching the Victory Day parade, marking the 71st anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, at Red Square in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2016. (Photo by Grigory Dukor/Reuters)

Michael O’Neill won a prize in animal portraits with fry of a peacock bass hovering around their mother for protection against predators in South Florida. (Photo by Michael Patrick O'Neill/2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year)