Winner – Animal Portraits: The pose by Mogens Trolle, Denmark. A young male proboscis monkey cocks his head slightly and closes his eyes. Unexpected pale blue eyelids now complement his immaculately groomed auburn hair. He poses for a few seconds as if in meditation. He is a wild visitor to the feeding station at Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Sanctuary in Sabah, Borneo – “the most laid-back character”, says Trolle, “quite unlike anything I’ve ever seen on another monkey” – connects us, he hopes, with a fellow primate. (Photo by Mogens Trolle/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2020)

Egrets stand on a field as an Egyptian farmer plants rice seedling in Egypt's fertile Delta in Tanta, Algharbeya governorate, 100 km from Cairo, Egypt, 22 June 2022. Egyptian Government reduced the planting of some crops that need a massive amount of irrigation water, while the government said it will reduce the rice agriculture area in Egypt, amid fear the Renaissance Dam project in Ethiopia could affect the amount of River Nile water reaching Egypt. (Photo by Khaled Elfiqi/EPA/EFE)

Women in Pathein, Myanmar, construct in the last decade of August 2024 parasols that they will paint in vibrant colours to sell in nearby markets. (Photo by Nantapon Pattamakijsakul/Solent News)

Takamoto Katsuta of Japan and Aaron Johnston of Ireland with their Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 #18 during the Shakedown of the FIA World Rally Championship Kenya on June 21, 2023 in Naivasha, Kenya. (Photo by Massimo Bettiol/Getty Images)

Eli Hanneman of Hawaii surfs in Heat 2 of the Round of 64 at the Ballito Pro on July 3, 2023 at Ballito, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. (Photo by Pierre Tostee/World Surf League via Getty Images)

Motocross riders compete on the beach on October 15, 2023 in Weymouth, United Kingdom. The motocross event, which first came to the town in 1984, organised by Weymouth and Portland Lions Club in association with Purbeck Motocross Club, sees over 300 riders compete over a course along Weymouth beach. (Photo by Graham Hunt/BNPS)

Students perform traditional dance as they take part in Pongal celebrations, the Tamil harvest festival, at a college in Chennai on January 10, 2024. (Photo by R. Satish Babu/AFP Photo)

Nigel Cox and Kevin Jay paint with light using fibre optic whips on the beach at Clacton-on-Sea in Essex, United Kingdom on July 25, 2023 with a superhero fighting theme. (Photo by Kevin Jay/Picture Exclusive)