Afghan police officers secure a transportation headquarters that was besieged for two days last weekend, on May 14, 2011 in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Taliban gunmen and suicide bombers unleashed a major assault May 7, 2011 on locations in Kandahar that included the governor's compound, the mayor's office, police stations, and an intelligence agency headquarters. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

A woman sits next to a Gollum figure on the “Middle-earth Shuttle” subway train November 18, 2003 in New York City. The train's cars were decorated with Middle-earth creatures, vines, moss and stones to celebrate the November 18 DVD and VHS release of the Special Extended Edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Two rare ceramic heads from a series by Japanese ceramicist Takahiro Kondo are displayed at the “Masterpiece London” Auction on June 29, 2011 in London, England. The second “Masterpieces London” sale is currently underway at The Royal Hospital Chelsea, showcasing fine and decorative arts, jewellery, classic cars, fine wines and sculpture from over 30 dealers. The event takes place from June 30 – July 5, 2011. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Volunteers receive a professional massage from qualified therapists as they break a world record for the largest ever simultaneous massage during Massage en Masse at Lavandula Lavender Farm on March 30, 2010 in Daylesford, Australia. Two hundred and sixty three massage therapists each massaged a volunteer, breaking the former world record of 167, set in 2009 in Washington DC. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

Members of the English Defence League (EDL) take part in a demonstration through the streets of Leicester on February 4, 2012 in Leicester, England. Up to two thousand members of the EDL gathered in the centre of Leicester as an opposing demonstration by anti-fascists held their protest nearby. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

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)

Hot air balloons fly over the sky in Chiang Mai province, northern Thailand, December 6, 2014. The two-day International Balloon festival 2014 featuring balloon pilots from Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Britain, and Czech Republic is held on December 06-07 2014 to celebrate Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 87th birthday and also aimed to promote the tourism industry in Chiang Mai northern city. (Photo by Pongmanat Tasiri/EPA)

Two 70 thousand RMB (about 11,310 USD) robots carry dishes and offer service for customers at a robot themed restaurant at Chunxi Road in Chengdu, China, December 11, 2014. The restaurant has 10 robots to serve as waiters. Each robot can carry simple dishes and offer simple greetings. (Photo by ChinaFotoPress/ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images)