A rainbow is seen near a cloud south of Corvallis, Ore., Monday, May 19, 2014. (Photo by Andy Cripe/AP Photo/The Corvallis Gazette-Times)

Merit Prize Winner: “A Well Earned Rest in the Sahara”. This photo of Moussa Macher, our Tuareg guide, was taken at the summit of Tin-Merzouga, the largest dune (or erg) in the Tadrat region of the Sahara desert in southern Algeria. Moussa rested while waiting for us to finish our 45-minute struggle to the top. It only took ten minutes of rolling, running, and jumping to get back down. The Tadrat is part of the Tassili N'Ajjer National Park World Heritage area, famous for its red sand and engravings and rock paintings of cattle, elephants, giraffes, and rhinos that lived there when the climate was milder. Photo location: Summit of Tin-Merzouga, Tadrat, Tassili N'Ajjer National Park, Algeria. (Photo and caption by Evan Cole/National Geographic Photo Contest)

A girl struggles with winds from approaching Typhoon Matmo along the eastern coast of Keelung, northeastern Taiwan, Tuesday, July 22, 2014. (Photo by Wally Santana/AP Photo)

Pakistani street performers sit around fire waiting for customers on a chilly evening in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Wednesday, February 10, 2016. (Photo by B.K. Bangash/AP Photo)

Indonesian mahouts (elephant masters) bathe elephants prior to a daily patrol at a Conservation Respons Unite (CRU) to control elephant-human conflicts in Serbajadi, East Aceh on April 7, 2016. Elephants have joined the front line in the fight against poaching and illegal logging in the dense jungles of Sumatra. Guided by their Indonesian mahouts, they trek alongside rivers, over rough terrain and deep into the rainforest in an area that is home to numerous endangered species, from orangutans to tigers, but which has suffered devastating deforestation in recent years. (Photo by AFP Photo/Januar)

People watch an eruption of the South East volcano of Etna is seen from the village of Nicolosi, Italy February 10, 2022. (Photo by Antonio Parrinello/Reuters)

This photo taken on November 7, 2023 shows winter swimming enthusiasts taking photos at Beiling Park after snowfall in Shenyang, in China's northeastern Liaoning province. (Photo by AFP Photo/China Stringer Network)

A young fan exchanges friendship bracelets with American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift as she performs onstage during “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at Allianz Parque on November 24, 2023 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by TAS2023 via Getty Images)