Canada's Jean-Simon Desgagnes competes in the men's 3000m steeplechase final of the Pan American Games Santiago 2023 at the National Stadium in Santiago, on November 4, 2023. (Photo by Martin Bernetti/AFP Photo)

A shepherd and his flock in the Bitlis province of eastern Turkey in the first decade of April 2024. Shepherds regularly embark on gruelling journeys through the dusty outback, as they take their sheep to the high plateaus needed for grazing and then back to villages for milking. (Photo by Kahraman Kaya/Solent News)

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)

Police detain a protester during a demonstration near the Chinese embassy to mark the 63rd Tibetan uprising anniversary in New Delhi on March 10, 2022. (Photo by Jewel Samad/AFP Photo)

Buddhist monk Wilatha holds a rescued Burmese python at his monastery that has turned into a snake sanctuary on the outskirts of Yangon, Myanmar, November 26, 2020. Wilatha is trying to play a part in saving scores of snakes that might otherwise be killed or destined for the black market. (Photo by Shwe Paw Mya Tin/Reuters)

Women quench their thirst with the tap water on a hot summer afternoon during heatwave in Prayagraj on June 10, 2024. India's heatwave is the longest ever to hit the country, the government's top weather expert said on June 10 as he warned people will face increasingly oppressive temperatures. Parts of northern India have been gripped by a heatwave since mid-May, with temperatures soaring over 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit). (Photo by Anil Shakya/AFP Photo)

American rapper Cardi B jumped on stage at Met Gala 2022 afterparty at Boom Boom Room on May 2, 2022 in Manhattan, New York. (Photo by Sansho Scott/BFA.com)