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)

People canoe through a flooded forest in Soomaa national park, Estonia, February 7, 2016. In this Estonian region hit by floods every spring the natural disaster is used to attract visitors and organise canoe tours through flooded territories. The floods are called Fifth Season by local people. (Photo by Ints Kalnins/Reuters)

When it opened in 1955, the Grande Hotel in the Indian Ocean city of Beira was one of the most luxurious in Africa. Photojournalist Fellipe Abreu documents the lives of the 3,500 people who now fill this long-closed hotel to capacity. (Photo by Fellipe Abreu/The Guardian)

Office sеx. (Photo by Orange-Melody/Getty Images)

In this Sunday, March 5, 2017, photo, hospitality staff take souvenir photos in front of the Great Hall of the People where the National People's Congress is held in Beijing. (Photo by Andy Wong/AP Photo)

A person poses on the track during a fashion competition at the Durban July horse racing event in Durban, South Africa July 1, 2017. (Photo by Rogan Ward/Reuters)

Pamukkale, Turkey, is home to these terrace pools, formed by the build-up of carbonate mineral from the warm water flowing from the thermal springs above. (Photo by Image Courtesy of Jennifer Hayes/Getty Images)

Soldiers march during a military parade commemorating the 37th anniversary of the founding of the Nicaragua's army, in Managua, Nicaragua September 3, 2016. (Photo by Oswaldo Rivas/Reuters)