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)

Merit Prize Winner: “A Well Earned Rest in the Sahara”. This photo of Moussa Macher, our Tuareg guide, was taken at the summit of Tin-Merzouga, the largest dune (or erg) in the Tadrat region of the Sahara desert in southern Algeria. Moussa rested while waiting for us to finish our 45-minute struggle to the top. It only took ten minutes of rolling, running, and jumping to get back down. The Tadrat is part of the Tassili N'Ajjer National Park World Heritage area, famous for its red sand and engravings and rock paintings of cattle, elephants, giraffes, and rhinos that lived there when the climate was milder. Photo location: Summit of Tin-Merzouga, Tadrat, Tassili N'Ajjer National Park, Algeria. (Photo and caption by Evan Cole/National Geographic Photo Contest)

A hogweed bonking beetle and yellow dung fly in a stalk standoff (the fly gave in), in Burley-in-Wharfedale, Yorkshire, England. (Photo by Rebecca Cole/Alamy Stock Photo)

American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo (R) seen at BRIT Awards 2022 Sam Fender's After Party at Four Quarters in Peckham on February 08, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Neil Mockford/Ricky Vigil M/GC Images)

Two monitor lizards wrestle at Singapore Botanic Gardens on February 7, 2022. (Photo by Xinhua News Agency/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

People hop in sacks during Khmer New Year celebrations at Chau Say Tevoda temple in Siem Reap province on April 14, 2022. (Photo by Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP Photo)

A student works on her skills during an acrobatics class near the pier in Huntington Beach, CA on Monday, August 17, 2020. Instructors at the Orange County Performing Arts Academy decided to bring the class to the beach from Anaheim Hills to beat the heat and give the students an end of the summer treat. (Photo by Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP Photo)

Palestinian athlete Ahmed Abu Hasira demonstrates his parkour skills during a lockdown amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Gaza City on September 8, 2020. (Photo by Mohammed Salem/Reuters)