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)

Kashmiri villagers inspecting a house damaged in a gun battle flee from it after hearing rumors of Indian army soldiers returning back to the site, which turned out to be false, in Kundalan village, some 60 Kilometres south of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, July 10, 2018. Government forces fired at protesters Tuesday in Indian-controlled Kashmir, killing a teenage boy and wounding at least 120 more who had been trying to reach the site of a gunbattle in which soldiers killed two rebels, police and residents said. (Photo by Dar Yasin/AP Photo)

Contestants prepare to go on stage during the Miss International Queen 2015 transgender/transsexual beauty pageant in Pattaya, Thailand, November 6, 2015. Some 27 contestants from 17 countries, all born male, are competing in the week-long event for the crown of Miss International Queen. (Photo by Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)

A member of Team USA (L) recovers USA's Anita Alvarez (C), from the bottom of the pool during an incendent in the women's solo free artistic swimming finals, during the Budapest 2022 World Aquatics Championships at the Alfred Hajos Swimming Complex in Budapest on June 22, 2022. (Photo by Peter Kohalmi/AFP Photo)

Bella Thorne out and about, Los Angeles, USA on June 14, 2017. (Photo by Broadimage/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Juno, a Beluga whale, greets a young viewer at the Mystic aquarium in Connecticut, USA on December 5, 2015. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis)

A contestant for Miss Tiffany's Universe Thailand 2018 gets ready backstage during the annual transgender beauty contest “Miss Tiffany's Universe Thailand 2018” at the Tiffany's Show Theatre in Pattaya city, Chonburi province, Thailand, 31 August 2018. Thirty Thai transgender contestants took part in the final stage of the annual beauty contest which is aimed to promote the tourism industry in the resort city of Pattaya city. (Photo by Narong Sangnak/EPA/EFE)

In this June 6, 1966 file photo, civil rights activist James Meredith pulls himself across Highway 51 after being shot in Hernando, Miss. Meredith, who defied segregation to enroll at the University of Mississippi in 1962, completed the march from Memphis, Tenn., to Jackson, Miss., after being treated for his wounds. (Photo by Jack Thornell/AP Photo)