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)

A Yorkshire Terrier has it's hair done on a grooming table on Day one of Crufts at the Birmingham NEC Arena on March 8, 2012 in Birmingham, England. During the annual four-day competition nearly 22,000 dogs and their owners will compete in a variety of categories, ultimately seeking the coveted prize of “Best In Show”. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Located in Siberia, Laka Baikal is the largest freshwater lake on the planet that contains approximately 20 percent of the Earth’s freshwater. Apart from being the oldest lake in the world at over 25 million years old, Lake Baikal is also home to over two thousand varieties of flora and fauna, of which almost 1,600 are endemic to the lake. The water of Lake Baikal is renowned for being some of the clearest in the world. When the lake freezes during the winter, an amazing phenomena takes place: large shards of transparent ice form on the surface of the lake, giving the amazing appearance of turquoise ice.

Live octopus is a delicacy in South Korea but is a known choking hazard, since the still-moving suction cups can cause tentacle pieces to stick in a person's throat. A baby octopus is often consumed whole, while larger varieties are cut up and the still-wriggling tentacles eaten with a splash of sesame oil. Photo: A South Korean man and a woman eat a live octopus during an event to promote a local food festival in Seoul on September 12, 2013. (Photo by Jung Yeon-Je/AFP Photo)

A Yorkshire Terrier rests backstage before competing at the 141st Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, February 13, 2017 in New York City. There are 2874 dogs entered in this show with a total entry of 2908 in 200 different breeds or varieties, including 23 obedience entries. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

With more than 40,000 followers on Twitter and 26,400 fans on Vine, it looks like Marutaro the hedgehog from Japan is one of the most popular hedgehogs on the Internet. And as his owner keeps on posting Marutaro’s pictures online daily, Marutaro’s popularity continues to grow. There are hundreds of cute photographs and videos of this little fellow, but the ones with little paper cut-out faces are probably the cutest. As Marutaro lies on his back, his owner gives him a variety of silly expressions and smiles. The 20 best of them will definitely boost your mood!

Zhang Shifan's sixth-generation facekinis in Shandong Province, Qingdao, East China. A woman credited with inventing the bizarre swimwear known as the “facekini” has now proudly presented the sixth generation of the iconic beach clothing. The new facekini models are not only more comfortable, they also come in a wider variety of colours and patterns, bringing both style and practicality to beach-goers in Qingdao City, in East China's Shandong Province, who fear tan lines. (Photo by CEN)