Tony North; First place, Breathing Spaces; Overall Winner; Blue Tajinaste, La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain. “Echium thyrsiflorum is endemic to the mountains of La Palma island – from high up, there was a magnificent view of both the caldera below, and the stars above. The Unesco La Palma biosphere reserve encompasses the entire island, with the Caldera de Taburiente containing mountains with a highest peak of 2,426 metres – the Roque de los Muchachos”. (Photo by Tony North/IGPOTY)

Jonny Simpson-Lee captures the moment these adorable pooches dove head first into a pool. Here: A Golden Labrador jumps for a tennis ball baring his teeth. (Photo by Jonny Simpson-Lee/Caters News Agency)

George R.R. Martin, Lena Headey, Sophie Turner, and other cast and crew of Game of Thrones have faced the winds of winter – or anyway, a bucket of ice water – with the popular charity challenge. HBO’s Game of Thrones gives fans chills in every episode. But as the Ice Bucket Challenge for ALS research has exploded across the internet, the cast and crew of the shocking show gave themselves goosebumps as they stepped up to get soaked.

“Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in Ukraine and Southern Russia. They inhabited sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins, and played an important role in the historical development of both Ukraine and Russia”. – Wikipedia

Photo: Кубанский казачий хор (Kuban Cossack chorus) - Розпрягайте, хлопцi, коней (Unharness The Horses, Guys!) – Ukrainian

Russian illustrator from South West of Siberia Artem Chebokha creates surreal digital paintings that have a peaceful yet grandiose feel to them.

California-based photographer Seth Casteel made his name taking photographs of dogs underwater, but before that, he was snapping cats on land.

Кубанский казачий хор (Kuban Cossack choir) – Ойся ты ойся. Казачья лезгинка (Cossack lezginka)