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)

An Afghan Army soldier secures the hill overlooking the Kart-e Sakhi mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, March 20, 2013. Thousands of Afghans will celebrate Nowruz on Thursday, March 21, 2013 to mark the first day of spring and the beginning of the year on the Iranian calendar. (Photo by Ahmad Jamshid/AP Photo)

Former UK' Love Island star Megan Barton Hanson stripped for OnlyFans in November 2020. The star has made a fortune stripping on her OnlyFans website, where it is estimated she earns up to £800k a month. (Photo by Ochiuk/Chilli Media)

A publican serves a glass of stout to a donkey in the East End of London, 1960s. (Photo by Steve Lewis/Getty Images)

A quake-resistant dome house decorated with Japan's popular “Kumamon” bear character is pictured at the Aso Farm Land resort in Aso, Japan on November 6, 2017. Cabins modelled after Japanese sweets and made from polystyrene foam withstood last year's deadly earthquakes in Kumamoto prefecture. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)

Woman and man playing domination games in bed. (Photo by NDAB Creativity/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A Palestinian man walks on the beach, as storm winds blow, near a camp for internally displaced on the beach near the Nuseirat refugee in the central Gaza Strip on December 20, 2024, amid the continuing war between Israel and Hamas. (Photo by Eyad Baba/AFP Photo)

Two giant puppets, a deep sea diver and his niece, roam through the streets of Liverpool, northern England, and April 20–23 looking for each other during the Sea Odyssey festival. The free event, organized by the French company Royal de Luxe is one of a series of events marking the 100th anniversary of the sinking of The Titanic. The liner, registered in Liverpool, sank on its maiden voyage to New York on April 15, 1912.

Photo: A giant deep sea diver emerges from the Albert Dock to begin a journey through the streets of Liverpool during the Titanic Sea Odyssey on April 20 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Christopher Furlong)