Guardian of the Mangroves – Overall Winner. Tanya Houppermans, Cuba. A curious American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) swims right up to Tanya, at Gardens of the Queen (Jardines De La Reina), an archipelago off the coast of Cuba. It has been strictly protected since 1996, and is one of the most untouched marine ecosystems in the world. ‍ “The healthy population of American crocodiles is down to the pristine condition of the mangroves and I wanted to capture close ups of this gentle giant in its natural habitat. I hope this image can illustrate that protecting areas like this is so critical”. (Photo by Tanya Griffin Houppermans/Mangrove Photographer of the Year)

Photograph of model Czech-Italian Eva Herzigova taken by Italian photographer Gian Paolo Barbieri in Rome, Italy, 1997. (Photo by Gian Paolo Barbieri/Fondazione Gian Paolo Barbieri/29 ARTS IN PROGRESS gallery/Handout via Reuters)

A Tibetan girl is reflected in a mirror, as she gets ready for her performance during an event organised to mark the 88th birthday celebration of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama in Kathmandu, Nepal on July 6, 2023. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

Aina the mother sheep, a 4.5-metre musical sculpture installed in the first decade of July 2023 outside Huddersfield railway station in England as part of Artichoke’s latest project, Herd. She is one of 23 giant handcrafted musical sheep that will appear all over Kirklees this week before joining Aina for a grand finale in Huddersfield on 16 July. (Photo by Christopher Thomond/The Guardian)

England fans celebrate their side's third goal of the game, scored by England's Marcus Rashford, at BoxPark Wembley, during a screening of the FIFA World Cup Group B match between Wales and England on Tuesday, November 29, 2022. (Photo by Henry Nicholls/Reuters)

Tourists view Hukou Waterfall on the Yellow River in the frigid winter on December 28, 2023 in Yan'an, Shaanxi Province of China. Freezing winter air has turned Hukou Waterfall into an icy wonderland. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

A rider goes through flames during the annual “Luminarias” celebration on the eve of Saint Anthony's day, Spain's patron saint of animals, in the village of San Bartolome de Pinares, northwest of Madrid, Spain on January 16, 2024. (Photo by Juan Medina/Reuters)

Pausing for a selfie as plum blossoms burst into bloom in Dujiangyan City, in southwest China’s Sichuan province on February 20, 2024. (Photo by Splash News and Pictures)