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)

A seagull who turned bright orange after he plunged into a vat of chicken tikka masala in Beckford, England on June 9, 2016. The bird fell into a container of the food while trying to scavenge a piece of meat from a food factory bin in Wales. (Photo by Vale Wildlife Hospital/PA Wire)

In this September 19, 2019 file photo, an aircraft passes the rising sun during take off at the international airport in Frankfurt, Germany. Germany’s top court has ruled that the government has to set clear goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions after 2030, arguing that current legislation doesn’t go far enough in curbing climate change. (Photo by Michael Probst/AP Photo/File)

People walk with their arms raised as security forces restore order in Nice, France on July 14, 2016. (Photo by SIPA Press/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

French model Frédérique Bel attends the screening of “Top Gun: Maverick” during the 75th annual Cannes film festival at Palais des Festivals on May 18, 2022 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters)

A newly hatched chick cuddles up to its mother at Santee Lakes near San Diego, California in May 2023. (Photo by Tammy Kokjohn/Solent News)

Canada's Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps perform in the gala exhibition during the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Beijing on December 10, 2023. (Photo by Wang Zhao/AFP Photo)

Kim Leuenberger is a Swiss photographer with a love for travel. She believes we are all explorers and is currently studying photography at University of the Arts London. These photos are from her series, “Traveling Cars Adventures”. Photo: “Lover of the Light”, Red Union Jack Mini Cooper, Bern, Switzerland, October 2012. (Photo by Kim Leuenberger)