Xochimilco – Island of the Dolls – Dead Line. Photo by Ramalama_22

A demonstrator attends a protest against fare hikes for city buses in Rio de Janeiro January 16, 2015. Amid a marked economic downturn and high inflation, bus fares went up in Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city, from 3 to 3.50 reais, and in Rio, the former capital, from 3.0 to 3.40 reais. (Photo by Mauro Pimentel/Reuters)

Underwater photographer of the year – winner. Dancing Octopus by Gabriel Barathieu (France). Location: Island of Mayotte, off the coast of south-east Africa. “Balletic and malevolent”, one judge said of this octopus, hunting in a lagoon. Barathieu waited until spring tides when there was just 30cm of water on the flats and plenty of light in the shallows. (Photo by Gabriel Barathieu/UPY2017)

In this Thursday, January 29, 2015 photo, the backseat of a rented 1957 Buick is packed to the brim with flowers, to be transported to Havana from San Antonio de los Banos, Cuba. Every Monday and Thursday morning, self-employed flower vendor Yaima Gonzalez Matos leaves her home to visit a dozen farmers who sell her sunflowers, roses, lilies and other blooms. She loads the flowers into the rented American classic and delivers to customers in the capital. (Photo by Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo)

Dancer of the Berlin State Ballet (Staatsballett Berlin) wear face masks as they perform during the dress rehearsal of Don Quixote in a production choreographed by Victor Ullate, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic at Deutsche Oper opera house in Berlin, Germany, December 1, 2021. (Photo by Fabrizio Bensch/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)

A North Korean war veteran is decorated with medals as he attends a parade to celebrate the anniversary of the Korean War armistice agreement, Sunday, July 27, 2014 in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Koreans gathered at Kim Il Sung Square as part of celebrations for the 61st anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War. (Photo by Wong Maye-E/AP Photo)