A reveller dances next to a police officer at Notting Hill Carnival in London, Britain on August 28, 2022. (Photo by Henry Nicholls/Reuters)

An aerial drone photo shows a view of the Wujiangzhai scenic spot in Zunyi, southwest China's Guizhou Province, March 14, 2024. The Wujiangzhai scenic spot, with its natural landscape and local folk customs, offers a blend of sightseeing, leisure activities and exhibitions, making it a popular destination for tourists. (Photo by Xinhua News Agency/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Julia Lopez Peña, the daughter of slain environmentalist Juan López, poses for a photo with her state-assigned bodyguards at her ninth birthday party in Tocoa, Honduras, December 7, 2024. (Photo by Moises Castillo/AP Photo)

A screen shows what Mexican journalist Jaime Maussan claims are extraterrestrial life forms at the Chamber of Deputies in Mexico City, Tuesday, November 7, 2023. Mexican legislators held another hearing dedicated to the potential for extraterrestrial life forms and UFOs following a controversial spectacle in September in which Maussan displayed what he said were “non-human beings that are not part of our terrestrial evolution”. (Photo by Marco Ugarte/AP Photo)

Dance artist HorsegiirL poses at the BRIT Awards at the O2 Arena in London, Britain, on March 1, 2025. (Photo Isabel Infantesby/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)

Balinese man watches Mount Agung volcano almost covered with clouds as he stands at a temple in Karangasem, Bali, Indonesia, Tuesday, September 26, 2017. An increasing frequency of tremors from the volcano indicates magma is continuing to move toward the surface and an eruption is possible, a disaster agency official said Tuesday. Tourists are cutting short their stay to the island, where an eruption would force the airport to close and strand thousands. (Photo by Firdia Lisnawati/AP Photo)

A pupil of the Dao ethnic tribe returns home from school along a hillside path at Suoi Thau village in Hoang Su Phi district of Vietnam's northern province of Ha Giang, located at the border with China, September 18, 2015. (Photo by Reuters/Kham)