Runner-up. “The heavens opened and the streets around Shibuya, Tokyo, were suddenly drenched in even more colour and movement. I was taking photos (my friend was holding the umbrella) when I noticed this woman at the crossing. I’m pleased with the futuristic feel of the image”. (Photo by Katherine Bridgestock/The Guardian)

Neil Zeller's snaps were taken across Canada, where he photographs the northern lights dancing across a dark night sky. In one stunning shot, Zeller, 42, even manages to capture a flash of lightning beneath a storm cell while an aurora gives off a magnificent green glow. The photographer, from Calgary, Alberta, describes himself as a night person, and became interested in night photography about 10 years ago. (Photo by Neil Zeller/Caters News)

Revellers gather for the start of the Annual SantaCon Bar Crawl at Father Duffy Square, a section of Times Square, on December 14, 2019, in New York City. SantCon is an event where people make donations to charitable causes and dress up as a Christmas character and visit bars around the city. (Photo by Steven Ferdman/Getty Images)

An member of the group “Pause the System” wears a face mask as she protests in front of the entrance to Downing Street in London, Friday, March 20, 2020. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. (Photo by Frank Augstein/AP Photo)

LiLou the therapy pig stands in front of a departures board at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, California, U.S. October 4, 2019. (Photo by Jane Ross/Reuters)

Palestinians flee from their neighbourhood in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, during the ongoing Israeli bombardment, Saturday, December 2, 2023. (Photo by Fatima Shbair/AP Photo)

A supporter of South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol attends a rally on a road near the Constitutional Court in Seoul on February 4, 2025, after Yoon arrived at the court for hearings that will decide whether to remove him from office. (Photo by Anthony Wallace/AFP Photo)

A pro-democracy protester wearing a Guy Fawkes mask holds a yellow umbrella and a banner in the part of Hong Kong's financial central district protesters are occupying November 2, 2014. The former British colony of Hong Kong, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997, has witnessed a month of protests calling on the Beijing-backed government to keep its promise of introducing universal suffrage. The protests have for the most part been peaceful, with occasional clashes between the student-led protesters and Beijing supporters seeking to move them from the streets. (Photo by Damir Sagolj/Reuters)