Spectators watch Austria's Stefan Kraft in action during the Viessmann FIS Ski Jumping World Cup Willingen on January 31, 2021 in Willingen, Germany. (Photo by Wolfgang Rattay/Reuters)

Third place: the rear leg, claw and respiratory trachea of a louse (Haematopinus suis). (Photo by Frank Reiser/Nassau Community College/Nikon Small World Photomicrography 2021)

Ukraine's Viktoriia Onopriienko competes in the individual all-around qualification round during the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships at the West Japan General Exhibition Center in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka prefecture on October 27, 2021. (Photo by Charly Triballeau/AFP Photo)

Kim Yelim, of South Korea, competes in the women's free skate program during the figure skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Thursday, February 17, 2022, in Beijing. (Photo by Natacha Pisarenko/AP Photo)

A person in a costume poses during the 2024 New York Comic Con, at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City, on October 18, 2024. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

American actress Sydney Sweeney rolls around in the grass during a photoshoot early July 2025. (Photo by sydney_sweeney/Instagram)

Residents wrapped in blankets watch flames engulf bamboo scaffolding at Wang Fuk Court housing estate after a major fire broke out, in Tai Po, Hong Kong, China, on November 26, 2025. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/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)