First place, The Beauty of Plants. “There are many stages of lotus growth on display at the Aquatic Gardens, but to come across twotwisted dancing stems of nelumbo nucifera was unexpected and quite magical”. (Photo by Kathleen Furey/The Guardian)

Gymnast Valeria Kurochkina from Yekaterinburg performs during the Circus of Our Childhood festival at the Yekaterinburg Circus in Yekaterinburg, Russia on December 7, 2019. The festival marks the centenary of establishing state circuses in Russia. (Photo by Donat Sorokin/TASS)

People participate in the annual “No Pants Subway Ride” in New York City, U.S., January 12, 2020. (Photo by Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

Belarusian villagers celebrate the Christmas carol rite (Kalyady) in the village of Danilevichy, some 320 km south of Minsk on January 7, 2020. Kalyady is an ancient pagan holiday originally celebrated on winter solstice. Dressed-up people walk from house to house singing, dancing, eating and drinking with their neighbours. (Photo by Sergei Gapon/AFP Photo)

Hannah Maule-ffinch, “Wild Swimmers”, 2020, Hinksey Lake, Oxfordshire. Category: People. The series Wild Swimmers explores how humans are strongest when coming together in the face of adversity. In this photo, Emma and Emma have an amazing bond and friendship, built through their daily ritual of cold swimming in often bracing conditions. (Photo by Hannah Maule-ffinch/Earth Photo 2022)

Indian security personnel adjust a uniform during full-dress rehearsal ahead of the 74th Republic day celebrations in Bangalore, India, 24 January 2023. The Republic Day of India marks the adoption of the constitution of India and the transition of the country to a Republic on 26 January 1950. (Photo by Jagadeesh N.V./EPA/EFE)

An Afghan woman collects cotton buds at governmental farms in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, 20 October 2020. Afghanistan's agriculture and livestock department in Nangarhar province hire women and people in need of cash assistance to harvest cotton from their farms. (Photo by Ghulamullah Habibi/EPA/EFE)

An anti-government protester, dressed as Barbie holding a fake gun, takes part in a demonstration demanding that Peruvian President Dina Boluarte call for immediate presidential elections as well as justice for those who were killed during protests earlier this year after the ouster of her predecessor, in Lima, Peru, Saturday, July 22, 2023. (Photo by Martin Mejia/AP Photo)