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)

A Ukrainian serviceman smokes a cigarette at his position at the frontline near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, January 11, 2023. (Photo by Evgeniy Maloletka/AP Photo)

A person looks up at the Aurora Australis in Judbury in the Huon Valley, Tasmania on April 24, 2023. (Photo by Toby Schrapel freelance photography/The Guardian)

Thailand's Patsapong Amsam-ang waits under an umbrella during a break due to heavy rains in the men's pole vault final during the 32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in Phnom Penh on May 8, 2023. (Photo by Mohd Rasfan/AFP Photo)

Photographer holding digital camera during photoshoot of fashion model. (Photo by grinvalds/Getty Images)

Inmates perform as cheerleaders during a soccer tournament inside the San Juan de Lurigancho prison, in Lima, Peru, Thursday, May 24, 2018. Inmates of 17 prisons, including four for women, participated in the First Interprison World Cup Lima 2018, organized by the National Penitentiary Institute. (Photoby Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo)

On Guard, Indonesia, by Riksa Dewantara. The explosive eruption and loud rumbling of the Mount Bromo volcano in Bromo Semeru Tengger national park scared the horse causing it to rear up onto its hind legs. Second place, Journeys and Adventures category. (Photo by Riksa Dewantara/SIPA Contest)

Swimmers take part in the annual Christmas Day swim in Porthcawl, Wales, England on December 25, 2019. (Photo by Ben Birchall/PA Images via Getty Images)