A reveller from Tom Maior Samba School takes part in a carnival at Anhembi Sambadrome in Sao Paulo February 14, 2015. (Photo by Nacho Doce/Reuters)

A man runs after he tried to put himself on fire during a protest at a makeshift camp at the Greek-Macedonian border near the village of Idomeni on March 22, 2016. Greece will not be able to start sending refugees back to Turkey from March 20, 2016, the government said, as the country struggles to implement a key deal aimed at easing Europe's migrant crisis. The numbers are daunting: officials said as of Saturday there were 47,500 migrants in Greece, including 8,200 on the islands and 10,500 massed at the Idomeni camp on the Macedonian border. (Photo by Andrej Isakovic/AFP Photo)

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)

Taking the highways in North Korea is a great experience as it allows to see the daily life of the country not controled by the government like in Pyongyang. They connect the main towns of the countries and are totally empty of cars. Here: The kind of scene you can see along the highway. Overloaded trucks but broken down with lot of smoke coming out... I was allowed to make those pics as after lunch, my guides were enjoying the confort of the bus seats and snoring... (Photo by Eric Lafforgue/Exclusivepix Media)

A field of poppies in flower in Great Massingham, Norfolk, UK on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. The field has been rewilded by the landowner, with the soil being ploughed and harrowed before being left for nature to run its course with the result being a huge sea of red poppies. (Photo by Joe Giddens/PA Images via Getty Images)

A Kimono-clad woman wearing a fashionable face mask poses for a photograph at Coming of Age Day celebration ceremony at Yokohama Arena after the government declared the second state of emergency for the capital and some prefectures, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Japan on January 11, 2021. (Photo by Issei Kato/Reuters)

A man walks past a mural depicting US actors John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson holding thermometers instead of guns amid the Covid-19 pandemic, in Tel Aviv on March 1, 2021. (Photo by Emmanuel Dunand/AFP Photo)

The Arcaid awards highlight the best architectural photographs of the year – pictures of everything from giant arenas to tiny huts. The shortlisted photographs will be exhibited at the World Architecture Festival in Berlin, from 16 to 18 November, with an overall winner announced during the event’s gala dinner. Here: The stage for Haduwa Arts & Culture Institute, Ghana. Architect: (applied) Foreign Affairs. Nominated in the Sense of Place category. The open-air auditorium of this arts institute in Apam, Ghana, is built from ultra-strong curved bamboo. (Photo by Julien Lanoo)