Florence Welch of Florence And The Machine performs at Spark Arena on January 30, 2019 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Dave Simpson/WireImage)

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)

A demonstrator holds up hands in front of police during a protest the day after Election Day in Portland, Oregon, U.S., November 4, 2020. (Photo by Goran Tomasevic/Reuters)

Hindu devotees sit for prayer with burning incense and light oil lamps during the Rakher Upobash, a religious fasting festival, at a temple in Narayanganj district on the outskirts of Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, on November 7, 2020. (Photo by Xinhua News Agency/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

American dancer Julianne Hough is seen on September 12, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Rachpoot/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

American singer Tinashe Jorgensen Kachingwe, known mononymously as Tinashe forgot some of her outfit for GQ's Men of the Year party in West Hollywood, California on November 17, 2022. (Photo by Sweet T./Instagram)

A group of volunteers dressed as elves and a man dressed as the grinch take part in a Christmas celebration organised by the NGO “Unos Venezolanos” in the neighbourhood of Petare, in Caracas, Venezuela on December 21, 2022. (Photo by Gaby Oraa/Reuters)

A gallery assistant poses for a photograph with an artwork entitled “John Perreault, 1972” by US artist Alice Neel during a press preview of “Alice Neel: Hot Off The Griddle” at the Barbican Art Gallery in London on February 15, 2023. (Photo by Justin Tallis/AFP Photo)