Professional conceptual category winner. Greetings from Mars, by Julien Mauve, France. Mauve says: “I have always wondered what it would be like to discover a totally different world ... and to photograph it for the first time as if I was Ansel Adams. So I came up with this project, which is about space exploration and discovery. But it’s also about our behavior in front of landscapes and how we create pictures that will share our personal story with the world”. (Photo by Julien Mauve)

Respect, Kronotsky nature reserve, Russia. The photographer’s cat, Ryska – her name means little lynx in Russian – stands outside their cabin and with aggressive posturing warns off a fox. In winter, foxes would regularly visit the cabin searching for food. If one peered in at the window, possible when the snow was deep, Ryska would sit on the other side, fur raised, and growl. When outside, she would hold her ground. The foxes were not always frightened and so encounters could be a sort of dance. (Photo by Igor Shpilenok/Unforgettable Behaviour/NHM)

They say the great photographers are out of bed before sunrise and always late for dinner. Photographer Alex Robciuc does just that; waking at 5 AM to capture the gorgeous morning light spilling over a small county in Transylvania, Romania. This dedication to early rising and sticking around for the "perfect light" has offered Alex some seriously beautiful landscape images.

New York City is populated with millions of people that each serve as an essential piece of the city's eclectic pie. The Big Apple's offering of unique and diverse individuals is arguably unmatched. We always hear about what a melting pot this immense metropolis is with its endless supply of quirky characters and the ongoing photo series known as Humans of New York proves it.

“I'm very lucky to be in a wonderful part of England , where the ever changing sky's are always a new opportunity for a good shot. To me photography is the art of using light to one's advantage”. – Eric Goncalves. Photo: “Let the light enter”. (Photo by Eric Goncalves)

“If a man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it”. – Herodotus. “You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation”. – Plato. Photo: Mandalay, Burma. (Photo by Steve McCurry)

The photography duo of Floto+Warner created the series, “Colorant”, from an idea that stemmed out of a previous series and the fascination of landscapes, with results that leave one in awe. Creating shapes, not experienced in nature, they tossed colored water in the air to capture “a momentary graffiti of air and space”. Using a high shutter speed to capture these fleeting moments, Floto/Warner has produced a multi-medium series with jaw-dropping results. Photo: “Orange Salt Flats”. (Photo by Floto/Warner)

With their affinity for hunting, sneaking, and hidden blade-like retractable claw, cats are really the assassins of the animal world. They're not as intimidating when they're kittens dressed up as assassins from the upcoming Assassin's Creed Unity, but what they lack in deadliness they more than make up for in cuteness. YouTube user Mr.TVCow posted the video, in which four hooded kittens hunt down a french soldier, much like like in a number of trailers for Assassin's Creed Unity. They use their eagle vision ability, parkour after their target, and perform lethal aerial assassinations, and yes, it's as unbearably adorable as it sounds.