Shortlisted: “Two big eyes” by Miao Yong (Zejiang province, China). Damselflies look over the leaves. “I was photographing insects in a park near my home when suddenly I found two damselflies in the grass. They kept flying and it was very difficult to focus until suddenly they parked behind a leaf”. (Photo by Miao Yong/2017 Royal Society of Biology Photographer of the Year)

Justin Rowe creates these magical sculptures from hand cut books and found images with the help of just a touch of gum arabic and 24 carat gold or palladium leaf. Some are very much in the realms of fairy stories like the one above, but my favourites are the stories below where Justin’s skill brings the book’s own illustrations to life.

Working in graphite, gold leaf and mixed media assemblage, Yoann Lossel creates fantastic myth based worlds and scenarios. They have a beautiful graceful ambiance, full of spiritual timelessness and ancient rituals. He is a French painter and designer currently living in the Forest of Broceliande in Brittany, a landscape steeped in Celtic and Arthurian myth. Reflecting this environment – Yoann’s works take the viewer through mythic and imaginary lands, imbued with ancient tales and iconic mysteries.

Life as tenant farmers in Kasungu, northern Malawi, can be a struggle for families trapped in poverty, who feel forced to rely on their children’s help, impacting schooling. Here: A tobacco field at a farm in Kasungu region, Malawi. Tobacco is the country’s most important export crop, with tobacco leaf from Malawi filling cigarettes found all over the world. Here: Tiyamike Phiri hopes to become a nurse because she wants to travel the country and help others. (Photo by David Levene/The Guardian)

A woman enjoys her last alcoholic drink on December 4, 2020 in Cardiff, Wales. Following a firebreak period that ran from October 23 to November 9 the Welsh Government have introduced new rules which will prevent pubs, restaurants and cafes from selling alcohol at any time from 6pm on Friday. The rules will be reviewed on December 17. (Photo by Wales News Service)

A pelican investigates a fallen ketchup bottle outside a cafe in St James’s Park in London, England on October 9, 2025. The species has lived there for hundreds of years and remain a popular sight for visitors. Introduced in 1664 as a gift from the Russian ambassador, about 40 pelicans have since made the park their home. The bottle was safely retrieved from the pelican. (Photo by Stephen Chung/Alamy Live News)

A motorized three-wheeled taxi carrying Muslim students drives past the Starbucks cafe where Thursday's attack occurred in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Friday, January 15, 2016. A day after attackers detonated bombs and engaged in gunbattles with police in the central part of Indonesia's capital, Jakarta tried to get itself back on track. (Photo by Dita Alangkara/AP Photo)