Dalmatian pelicans jostle over a fish meal on September 9, 2021. Every year about 100 of the birds fly to feast at Lake Kerkini, central Macedonia, Greece. (Photo by Peter Bradley/Solent News & Photo Agency/Solent News)

A woodpecker and an owl bicker on a tree branch near Bromsgrove in the West Midlands, UK in the second decade of July 2025. The photographer says the juvenile woodpecker, with a red crown, poked the owl in the eye before flying off. (Photo by Julie Yates/Solent News & Photo Agency)

The first female attack helicopter pilot of Türkiye's Atak helicopter, Deputy Commissioner Özge Karabulut, undisclosed location, Türkiye, January 6, 2022. (Photo by Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

“Misty Morning”. Every morning, people expect sunny weather. Photo location: Bali, Indonesia. (Photo and caption by Henry Adam/National Geographic Photo Contest)

Male is the capital and most populous city in the Republic of Maldives. The city is geographically located at the southern edge of North Malé Atoll (Kaafu Atoll). Administratively, it is a city-class constituency and is governed by the Malé City Council. Traditionally it was the King's Island, from where the ancient Maldive Royal dynasties ruled and where the palace was located. The city was then called “Mahal”. Formerly it was a walled city surrounded by fortifications and gates (doroshi).

Honorable Mention: “The Storm”. During I was taking photo with my nephew, the storm came and I caught this beautiful moment. Photo location: Kocaeli, Turkey. (Photo and caption by Aytül Akbaş/National Geographic Photo Contest)

Actress Jennifer Aniston is seen filming on location for “The Morning Show” in the Flatiron District on July 28, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by James Devaney/GC Images)

A zebra walks through the recently flooded Safari Park located at Safari World November 2, 2011 in Bangkok, Thailand. (Photo by Paula Bronstein /Getty Images)