A woman looks at some of the 60 plane trees wrapped in a pink-and-white polka-dot design developed especially for Melbourne by Japanese contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama titled “Ascension of Polka Dots on the Trees”, in Melbourne on November 27, 2024. The National Gallery of Victoria’s (NGV) world-premiere blockbuster exhibition Yayoi Kusama will be on display from 15 December 2024 to 21 April 2025. (Photo by William West/AFP Photo)

A woman stands on the footbridge over the river Garry near Pitlochry, Scotland, Britain on October 10, 2018. (Photo by Russell Cheyne/Reuters)

Filipino firemen extinguish a burning vehicle during an earthquake preparedness drill in Makati city, south of Manila, Philippines, 22 June 2016. Thousands of people participated in the Metro Manila earthquake drill to prepare residents of nearly 12 million for a feared magnitude-7.2 quake that could kill thousands and displace millions, Emerson Carlos head of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said. Philippines sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, an area prone to seismic shifts that spark earthquakes and volcanic activity. (Photo by Francis R. Malasig/EPA)

Tourists watch illuminated snow sculptures during the 31st Harbin Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Exposition on January 4, 2019 in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province of China. The 31st Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Exposition officially opened to public on December 29. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

Students perform during a “Bhangra” folk dance competition at a university in Amritsar on October 29, 2024. (Photo by Narinder Nanu/AFP Photo)

Visitors hold mobile devicecs in front of the golden burial mask of King Tutankhamun during the first day for visitors after the official opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, Egypt, Tuesday, November 4, 2025. (Photo by Amr Nabil/AP Photo)

Highly commended birds : Crested guan by Tim Hunt (UK). ‘This photo shows a crested guan in the cloud forests of Costa Rica as it pauses while foraging on a lone branch. Due to the clouds that are so typical for this habitat, I could often only photograph the bird’s silhouette against a grey sky. But then, for a short moment only, the sun broke through the clouds, and I overexposed the image by over two stops in order to blow out the background and allow this beautifully marked bird to stand out’. (Photo by Tim Hunt/GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015)

October winner. “A burst of the aurora borealis over Kirkjufell, taken in September 2016. This shot has been a holy grail for me and was finally captured after many trips”. MICK RYAN, JUDGE: Iceland is a hotspot for aurora photography and this composition of the symmetric, free-standing Kirkjufell and the trident waterfall is much-sought after. If you can time your visit when the aurora “kp” index is high and know the settings for nighttime aurora images, you may end up with a beautiful photograph like this. (Photo by DВ/The Guardian)