Shooting star by Tony Wu, US/Japan. Winner, underwater. The electrifying reproductive dance of a giant sea star. As the surrounding water filled with sperm and eggs from spawning sea stars, Wu faced several challenges. Stuck in a small, enclosed bay with only a macro lens for photographing small subjects, he backed up to squeeze the undulating sea star into his field of view. The dancing posture of spawning sea stars rising and swaying may help release eggs and sperm, or may help sweep the eggs and sperm into the currents where they fertilise together in the water. Kinko Bay, Japan. (Photo by Tony Wu/Wildlife Photographer of the Year)

Van cat walks in the snow in Yuzuncu Yil University's “cat villa” where they are carefully cared, in Van, Turkiye on January 21, 2022. One of the most important symbols of Van province of Turkiye endangered Van cats are taken under protection at the Van Cat Research and Application Center of Yuzuncu Yil University. They have been the subject of many scientific studies with their unique characteristics. Efforts are continuing to protect the extinction of the Van cat, which is known for its sensuality, friendliness, white silky fur, lion's walk, fluffy tail, different eye colors and fondness for water. (Photo by Ozkan Bilgin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

A woman along with her children carry hay to feed cattle in Sanjar Chang village, Mirpurkhas district in Sindh province on April 9, 2023. (Photo by Asif Hassan/AFP Photo)

American actress Jennifer Coolidge poses on the red carpet as she arrives for the Time Magazine 100 gala celebrating their list of the 100 Most Influential People in the world in New York City, New York, U.S., April 26, 2023. (Photo by Andrew Kelly/Reuters)

Tourists in traditional costumes visit a rose garden during a rose cultural festival on April 27, 2021 in Huzhou, Zhejiang Province of China. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

Hindu married women offer prayers and tie a thread around a banyan tree during the festival of Vat Purnima amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Mumbai, India, June 24, 2021. (Photo by Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters)

Visitors take masks off to take pictures as hydrangea flowers are fully blooming at Meigetsu-in Buddhist temple Friday, June 11, 2021, in Kamakura, south of Tokyo. (Photo by Kiichiro Sato/AP Photo)

An Afghan evacuee plays at a holding centre run by the Italian Red Cross, where she carries out a quarantine with others, in Avezzano, Italy, August 30, 2021. (Photo by Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters)