Libyan forces allied with the U.N.-backed government fire a shell at Islamic State fighters' positions in Sirte, Libya August 15, 2016. (Photo by Ismail Zitouny/Reuters)

Iranian-Kurdish female fighters hold their weapons during a battle with Islamic State militants in Bashiqa, near Mosul, Iraq on November 3, 2016. (Photo by Ahmed Jadallah/Reuters)

Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group pull out of the headquarters of the Southern Military District to return to base, in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia on June 24, 2023. (Photo by Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)

In this photograph taken on September 13, 2022, newly recruited Taliban fighters parade in armoured vehicles after their graduation ceremony in Herat. (Photo by Mohsen Karimi/AFP Photo)

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)

This photo taken on March 5, 2023 show fighters competing in a bout during a traditional Myanmar boxing Lethwei tournament at Pyi Thar Lin Aye pagoda in Hlaingbwe township in Karen state. The spectacle of almost-no-holds-barred traditional Myanmar boxing known as Lethwei, considered one of the most aggressive combat sports in the world – with fighters eschewing boxing gloves for thin gauze bandages wrapped around hardened knuckles – draws huge crowds in the eastern border state of Karen. (Photo by AFP Photo/Stringer)

Militant Islamist fighters take part in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province June 30, 2014. The fighters held the parade to celebrate their declaration of an Islamic “caliphate” after the group captured territory in neighbouring Iraq, a monitoring service said. The Islamic State, an al Qaeda offshoot previously known as Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), posted pictures online on Sunday of people waving black flags from cars and holding guns in the air, the SITE monitoring service said. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

Guests brew coffee during a wedding ceremony for a Free Syrian Army fighter in the town of Douma, eastern Ghouta in Damascus, Syria January 19, 2016. (Photo by Bassam Khabieh/Reuters)