A grave cleaner holds up a skull during exhumation works at the Cemetery General in Guatemala City May 24, 2013. If a lease on a grave has expired or not been paid, grave cleaners will break open the crypts to remove and rebury the bodies. (Photo by Jorge Dan Lopez/Reuters)

A member of the public wears a pandemic face mask ahead of the prime minister announcing the government's Covid-19 winter strategy on September 13, 2021 in Manchester, England. Tomorrow, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out his plan to manage Covid-19 through the winter, including what actions would need to be taken if the NHS hospital system were at risk of being overwhelmed. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

A bride gets tested for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at a nucleic acid testing site, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Shanghai, China on November 15, 2022. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)

An artwork of the famous street artist Tvboy is seen on a wall of the House of Culture, which was heavily damaged during Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Irpin, outside Kyiv, Ukraine on January 29, 2023. (Photo by Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)

A traditional Chinese opera actress wearing a face shield poses for a picture during Lunar New Year celebrations in Bangkok, Thailand, February 12, 2021. (Photo by Chalinee Thirasupa/Reuters)

A member of the Siberian Battalion of the Ukraine's Armed Forces International Legion smokes a disposable vape during military exercises, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at an undisclosed location in Kyiv region, Ukraine on December 13, 2023. (Photo by Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters)

A woman swings on a swing in Venao beach in Pedasi, Panama, Saturday, July 13, 2024. (Photo by Matias Delacroix/AP Photo)

Merit Prize Winner: “A Well Earned Rest in the Sahara”. This photo of Moussa Macher, our Tuareg guide, was taken at the summit of Tin-Merzouga, the largest dune (or erg) in the Tadrat region of the Sahara desert in southern Algeria. Moussa rested while waiting for us to finish our 45-minute struggle to the top. It only took ten minutes of rolling, running, and jumping to get back down. The Tadrat is part of the Tassili N'Ajjer National Park World Heritage area, famous for its red sand and engravings and rock paintings of cattle, elephants, giraffes, and rhinos that lived there when the climate was milder. Photo location: Summit of Tin-Merzouga, Tadrat, Tassili N'Ajjer National Park, Algeria. (Photo and caption by Evan Cole/National Geographic Photo Contest)