Aiden Haas, left, and Lilli Alcala pose after being crowned Mud King and Mud Queen at the 29th annual Mud Day, Tuesday, July 12, 2016 in Westland, Mich. The event, open to children 12 and younger, was at the Hines Park-Nankin Mills Area west of Detroit. Children 12 and younger were able to slosh around in the pit while participating in mud limbo, wheelbarrow races and other free activities. (Photo by Carlos Osorio/AP Photo)

“Zeybeks”. That's Dance, Sunward and Zeybeks. (Photo by Hasan Baglar/2014 Sony World Photography Awards)

Bikini Contest in Daytona Beach, Florida’s Atlantic coast, circa 1980s. (Photo by Evan Hurd/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images)

Prostitutes working on 10th Ave in New York, USA on June 29, 1997. (Photo by Jon Naso/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)

Bangladeshi people walk in a polluted air environment in Dhaka, Bangladesh on September 3, 2020. A study says, air pollution shortens life expectancy by seven years in Bangladesh. (Photo by Sultan Mahmud Mukut/SOPA Images/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A girl plays with pigeons in front of Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on February 24, 2023. (Photo by Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP Photo)

“Diver in Magic Kingdom”. Green Lake (Grüner See) is located Tragöss Austria. In spring snowmelt raises the lake level about 10 meters. This phenomenon, which lasts only a few weeks covering the hiking trails, meadows, trees. The result is magical to watch diving landscapes. Photo location: Grüner See at Tragöss, Austria. (Photo and caption by Marc Henauer/National Geographic Photo Contest)

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)