Tony North; First place, Breathing Spaces; Overall Winner; Blue Tajinaste, La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain. “Echium thyrsiflorum is endemic to the mountains of La Palma island – from high up, there was a magnificent view of both the caldera below, and the stars above. The Unesco La Palma biosphere reserve encompasses the entire island, with the Caldera de Taburiente containing mountains with a highest peak of 2,426 metres – the Roque de los Muchachos”. (Photo by Tony North/IGPOTY)

“I have seen batches of banknotes worth more than $2.6 million, but beyond all doubt, gold bars look much more attractive!”. – Shamil Zhumatov. Photo: Cooling-down gold ingot. March 14, 2013; Tien Shan mountains, Kyrgyzstan. (Photo by Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters)

The waning moon is setting over the mountain “Les Cornettes de Bise” located at the border of the Haute-Savoie and the Valais canton of Switzerland in the Chablais Alps, photographed from Glutieres, January 7, 2015. (Photo by Anthony Anex/EPA)

This restroom on the rubbly flanks of Jonsknuten in Norway looks up at the peak of the 904m mountain. Yu have to leave the door open to enjoy the view but the chances of being disturbed are minimal. (Photo by Olaf Menz/Lonely Planet)

A Mexican soldier burns coca plants in the mountainous area of Atoyac de Alvarez, Guerrero state, Mexico, on February 15, 2023. (Photo by Francisco Robles/AFP Photo)

Aerial view of sunbeam shining through mountain cave at Yueyan National Forest Park on August 27, 2024 in Yongzhou, Hunan Province of China. (Photo by Jiang Keqing/VCG via Getty Images)

This photograph, taken in Cognocoli-Monticchi on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica on November 14, 2023 shows lenticular clouds above Corsican mountains. (Photo by Pascal Pochard-Casabianca/AFP Photo)

In this photo taken Friday, September 4, 2015, tourists Sarah and John Scott from Worcester, England, take a step back as a male silverback mountain gorilla from the family of mountain gorillas named Amahoro, which means “peace” in the Rwandan language, unexpectedly steps out from the bush to cross their path in the dense forest on the slopes of Mount Bisoke volcano in Volcanoes National Park, northern Rwanda. Deep in Rwanda's steep-sloped forest, increasing numbers of tourists are heading to see the mountain gorillas, a subspecies whose total population is an estimated 900 and who also live in neighboring Uganda and Congo, fueling an industry seen as key to the welfare of the critically endangered species as well as Rwanda's economy. (Photo by Ben Curtis/AP Photo)