Two F-15E Strike Eagles wait to receive fuel from a KC-135R Stratotanker during exercise Red Flag 15-1 on their way to Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Jauary 23, 2015. The F-15s are assigned to the 4th Fighter Wing. U.S. (Photo by Airman 1st Class Aaron J. Jenne/Reuters)

A general view showing the shipwrecked cruise ship Costa Concordia in an upright position after the salvage operations in Giglio island, Italy, 17 September 2013. Salvage crews pulled off a major engineering feat when they straightened the listed Costa Concordia cruise ship from the rocks it had been wedged against for the past 20 months. The delicate operation took 19 hours and was completed at 4 am (0200 GMT). The vessel ran aground near the island of Giglio, in Tuscany, in an accident that made world-wide news. (Photo by Angelo Carconi/EPA)

The moon is seen in its waxing gibbous stage as it rises behind the helicopter from the original Batman television show, which people can ride at the New Jersey State Fair, Saturday, June 22, 2013, in East Rutherford, N.J. The moon, which will reach its full stage on Sunday, is expected to be 13.5 percent closer to earth during a phenomenon known as supermoon. (Photo by Julio Cortez/AP Photo)

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)

Customers ride escalators at a shopping mall in central Moscow, Russia on March 2, 2019. (Photo by Mladen Antonov/AFP Photo)

Two paddle boarders stop to watch the sunrise on a stormy morning in Sanibel, Fla., Thursday, August 15, 2019. (Photo by J. David Ake/AP Photo)

A worker carries a carp freshwater fish at a breeding site in Iraq's central city of Najaf, on June 13, 2021. (Photo by Ali Najafi/AFP Photo)

Luciana Benetti, 16, feeds her pet pig Chanchi, given to her for a birthday present the previous year in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, September 4, 2021. As the new coronavirus began to circulate last year, Benetti found her plans for a big traditional 15th birthday party scrapped. In its place, her parents gave her a pig. (Photo by Natacha Pisarenko/AP Photo)