Ace Wu searches the deep to photograph stunning underwater creatures. Against their predominantly black backdrops, Wu’s breathtaking subjects glow with sublime vibrancy. In one, a fearsome fish glares at the camera with rows of sharp teeth showing, while in another, a translucent octopus looks like an extraterrestrial. Here: Wunderpus larva. (Photo by Ace Wu/Caters News Agency)

Revellers attend the 25th edition of the Sziget Festival on August 9, 2017 in Budapest, Hungary. The Sziget Festival, one of the largest music and cultural festivals in Europe, celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2017, taking place from August 9-16 on the Hajogyari Sziget in Budapest. (Photo by Laszlo Mudra/Rockstar Photographers)

Members of rival teams fight with oranges during an annual carnival battle in the northern Italian town of Ivrea, Italy on February 11, 2018. Established in 1808, the Carnival of Ivrea is one of the oldest and most particular festivals in the world. (Photo by Alessandro Bianchi/Reuters)

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)

Genko Stoykov fires a rifle as he and other men prepare for the traditional “Horo” dance on Epiphany Day in the icy winter waters of the Tundzha river on January 6, 2022 in Kalofer, Bulgaria. As part of the tradition, a priest throws a cross in the river and it is believed that the one who retrieves it will be healthy throughout the year. Today, cultures throughout Christendom mark the Feast of the Epiphany, when Jesus was revealed to the Magi as God incarnate. (Photo by Hristo Rusev/Getty Images)

A Russia-backed rebel looks at the flag covered body of an Ukrainian serviceman in Debaltseve, Ukraine, February 20, 2015. The struggle for the strategic rail hub, Debaltseve, a sleepy town with a pre-war population of 25,000 people, left the town in ruins and became one of the darkest pages in the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine, which has already killed more than 6,000 people. (Photo by Vadim Ghirda/AP Photo/File)

A woman cries near the flowers, brought to the destroyed Amstor shopping mall in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, 28 June 2022. At least 18 people died following Russian airstrikes on the crowded shopping mall, the State Emergency Service (SES) of Ukraine said in a Telegram post. The Amstor shopping center one-story building was hit by Russian rockets on 27 June afternoon. (Photo by Oleg Petrasyuk/EPA/EFE)

The Milky Way galaxy is seen in the sky above the International Car Forest of the Last Church in Goldfield, Nevada on July 18, 2020. The roadside attraction, created in 2002 by Mark Rippie, has over 36 automobiles including cars, trucks, vans and buses that have been balanced on their ends or stacked on top one of another. (Photo by David Becker/AFP Photo)