Activists from the climate action group Ocean Rebellion perform a stunt outside the Science Museum, in London, United Kingdom on May 19, 2021. (Photo by Hannah McKay/Reuters)

The dancers are posing after the Topeng Bekasi dance performance, a presentation from the West Java Pavilion, during the 50th anniversary celebration of Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII), in Jakarta, on Sunday, April 20, 2025. (Photo by Andri Munazir/ZUMA Press Wire/Alamy Live News)

A curious leopard cub toys with a camera at MalaMala Game Reserve in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. (Photo by Barcroft Media)

Urte Baikstyte, of Lithuania, fails an attempt in the Women High Jump qualification at the European Athletics Indoor Championships at Atakoy Arena in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, March 2, 2023. (Photo by Khalil Hamra/AP Photo)

Aerialists of the Hungarian troupe Vincze Tunde Production perform on the opening night of Strand Festival in Zamardi, Hungary, 20 August 2025. (Photo by Tamas Vasvari/EPA)

A cosplayer poses for a photograph during the Comic Market 90 (Comiket) event in Tokyo Big Sight on August 12, 2016, Tokyo, Japan. Many manga and anime fans wearing cosplay lined up in the sun for the first day of Comiket. Comiket was established in 1975 and focuses on manga, anime, gaming and cosplay. Organizers expect more than 500,000 visitors to attend this year's summer event which runs for three days until August 14. (Photo by Aflo/Splash News)

Cosplayers dressed as Star Wars characters Chewbacca (R) and Darth Vader talk at a Star Wars Day fan event in Tokyo May 4, 2015. Star Wars fans celebrate May 4 as Star Wars Day, a pun that comes from an iconic quote in the movie, “May the Force be with you”. (Photo by Toru Hanai/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)