Kashmiri children play with snow on a wooden foot bridge in the interiors of Dal Lake in Srinagar on January 16, 2017. A cold wave has further tightened its grip in Jammu and Kashmir, with most places in the state recording sub-zero temperatures. (Photo by Tauseef Mustafa/AFP Photo)

A walker has left a handprint on a snow- covered tree trunk on Grosser Feldberg mountain in the Taunus mountain range, Germany, 16 January 2017. (Photo by Frank Rumpenhorst/DPA)

A man gets ready backstage before performing in the 35th Cochin Carnival, which is held annually to welcome the start of the New Year at Fort Kochi in the southern state of Kerala, India, January 1, 2019. (Photo by Sivaram V/Reuters)

Two sloth bear cubs save their paws from the hot ground during a search for food in the Daroji Bear Sanctuary in Karnataka, India in the second decade of January 2025. (Photo by Baiju Patil/Solent News)

A model presents a creation from The Blonds during New York Fashion Week Fall-Winter 2025 in New York City, U.S., February 8, 2025. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Reuters)

“After an afternoon of hiking and exploring the caves of Rhossili Bay, West Glamorgan, we caught the sun breaking through the clouds”. (Photo by Megan Warren-Davis/The Guardian)

A photographer could bear-ly believe his eyes when a bear started waving at him. The friendly animal wandered to the front of his enclosure before sitting back in full view of zoo guests. He then lifts his powerful paw and excitedly waves in an almost human-like way at his new audience. The hilarious encounter was captured by keen photographer Andrey Slepnev, 31, while on a trip to Madrid Zoo, Spain on March 24, 2016. (Photo by Andrey Slepnev/Caters News)

Runner-up. “The heavens opened and the streets around Shibuya, Tokyo, were suddenly drenched in even more colour and movement. I was taking photos (my friend was holding the umbrella) when I noticed this woman at the crossing. I’m pleased with the futuristic feel of the image”. (Photo by Katherine Bridgestock/The Guardian)