Models are seen backstage prior to the Walter Van Beirendonck Menswear Spring/Summer 2024 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on June 21, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Francois Durand/Getty Images)

A girl dressed as a living goddess “Kumari” poses for a photograph before taking part in the “Kumari Puja” rituals at the Hanuman Dhoka at Durbar Square in Kathmandu on September 27, 2023. (Photo by Prakash Mathema/AFP Photo)

A contestant on the 28th season of The Bachelor Kelsey Anderson hangs out at the Gallery Desert House with PATRÓN EL ALTO during Stagecoach on Friday, April 25, 2025. (Photo by Angel Montalvo)

A member of the “Castellers Minyons de Terrassa” adjusts her belt before forming a human tower or ÒcastellÓ during the festival of the patron saint of Barcelona “The Virgin of Mercy” at Sant Jaume square in Barcelona, Spain, September 20, 2015. The formation of human towers is a tradition in Catalonia dating back to the 18th century. (Photo by Susana Vera/Reuters)

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 Ukranian soldier hugs his wife in the city of Irpin, north of Kyiv, on March 10, 2022. Russian forces on March 10, 2022 rolled their armoured vehicles up to the northeastern edge of Kyiv, edging closer in their attempts to encircle the Ukrainian capital. Kyiv's northwest suburbs such as Irpin and Bucha have been enduring shellfire and bombardments for more than a week, prompting a mass evacuation effort. (Photo by Aris Messinis/AFP Photo)

A motorcyclist carries three young woman as he performs a wheelie on his motorbike during an exhibition in the Chapellin neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, June 12, 2022. (Photo by Matias Delacroix/AP Photo)