The competition is run by Royal Observatory Greenwich sponsored by Insight Investment and in association with BBC Sky at Night Magazine. This year astrophotographers from 91 countries sent in more than 4,200 spectacular entries. Here: The Milky Way rises above an isolated lighthouse in Tasmania. Shot by James Stone of Australia. (Photo by James Stone/Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018)

Blizzard in the High Peak, Derbyshire, by John Finney: “After a difficult journey in the snow, I made my way from Mam Tor down onto the Great Ridge. As the clouds got darker, I placed the tripod and camera at just the right angle to avoid snow getting onto the lens, and used a flash gun and a relatively slow shutter speed to highlight the fast motion of the blizzard”. Classic view, adult class – winner. (Photo by John Finney/Landscape Photographer of the Year)

The Historic Photographer of the Year awards celebrate historic places and cultural sites across the globe, from national treasures to hidden gems. Entries were judged on originality, composition and technical proficiency as well as the story that inspired the submission and its historical impact. Here: Overall winner. Mont Saint-Michel by Daniel Burton. (Photo by Daniel Burton/The Guardian)

“Misty Rainbow”. A rainbow appears over tea fields in Tangerang Selatan, Indonesia. (Photo by Dani Agus Purnomo/Royal Meteorological Society’s Weather Photographer of the Year Awards)

The sun rises between Sgurr nan Gillean and Knight’s Peak, Black Cuillin, Isle of Skye. (Photo by Adrian Trendall/Mountain Photo of the Year)

Four-year-old Chinese boy Huang Yang plays with five-year-old beluga whale Xiao Xin at the Qingdao Ocean World on November 3, 2007 in Qingdao of Shandong Province, China. Huang Yang began swimming as a baby and fell in love with the whale after watching its performance. On the International Children's Day, June 1 this year, the Qingdao Ocean World has made the boy's dream come true when they allowed Huang Yang to swim with the beluga whale. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)

A mysterious sea creature with some frighteningly sharp teeth washed up on a beach in England last week, where David Mackland snapped these photos. A Grind TV story reports that Mackland estimated the creature to be about 4-5 feet in length. (Photo by David Mackland/OurCarnoustie)

Wide-angle category winner. Part of the Illusion by Marcus Blatchford (UK). Location: National Dive & Activity Centre, Chepstow, Wales. “This is the deepest inland dive centre in the UK. The dive plan was to explore the deep end, but this time I dived ‘unplugged’ (without my strobes). With the exception of this change to my camera technique, there were no planned shots I wanted to achieve – just a fun dive with ad-hoc photos along the way. Shortly after this photo was captured, in 6C water and two hours of decompression ahead of us, we turned and started the long ascent back to the surface”. (Photo by Marcus Blatchford/Underwater Photographer of the Year 2016)