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)

In this photo taken Thursday, May 7, 2015 photo, remains of Soviet soldiers killed during World War II lay in a coffin prior to a reburial ceremony at the Sinyavino Heights memorial near the village of Sinyavino, 50 km (31 miles) east of St. Petersburg, Russia. Hundreds of people came to a World War II battleground outside St. Petersburg this week to bury the remains of 964 Soviet soldiers recovered by volunteer search teams. Fifty crimson coffins containing skulls and bones were solemnly buried at the Sinyavino Heights memorial as Russian war songs played and an honor guard fired a salute. (Photo by Dmitry Lovetsky/AP Photo)

Manchester City's English midfielder Kalvin Phillips (C) pours alcohol in the mouth of Manchester City's English midfielder Jack Grealish (L) as they celebrate on stage following an open-top bus victory parade for their European Cup, FA Cup and Premier League victories, in Manchester, northern England on June 12, 2023. (Photo by Oli Scarff/AFP Photo)

A tree frog uses a leaf as an umbrella in pouring rain in Karacabey floodplain near the city of Bursa, Turkey in the first decade of June 2023. (Photo by Savas Sener/Solent News & Photo Agency)

A Samoyed is groomed before being judged on the final day of the Crufts dog show at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, central England, on March 9, 2025. (Photo by Oli Scarff/AFP Photo)

Cheerleaders let their hair fly as they perform prior to a German first division Bundesliga soccer match between 1. FC Cologne and Bayern Munich in Cologne, Germany, March 4, 2017. (Photo by Michael Probst/AP Photo)

Visitors are seen with giraffes on a bus at Safari Park in Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand, January 19, 2020. Kanchanaburi in western Thailand an area known for its waterfalls and caves. (Photo by Rachen Sageamsak/Xinhua News Agency/Eyevine)

A peacock leaps into the air as it battles a rival over territory on a foggy morning. The brightly coloured bird jumped almost six feet into the air before crashing down on its opponent. The fight was captured by amateur photographer Nilesh Patel, in Dudhwa National Park, India. (Photo by Nilesh Patel/Solent News & Photo Agency/Solent News)