A Sikh warrior, wearing a huge turban attends the annual fair of “Hola Mohalla” in Anandpur Sahib, in the northern Indian state of Punjab, Monday, March 17, 2014. Believers from various parts of northern India collect at the religious fair to celebrate the festival of Holi in a tradition set by the tenth Sikh guru Guru Gobind Singh in the seventeenth century. Nihangs, or Sikh warriors, display their martial skills and attire during the fair, believed to be maintained in the exact tradition as set by the Guru. (Photo by Altaf Qadri/AP Photo)

A woman stands in a gift shop in central Rason city, part of the special economic zone northeast of Pyongyang, in this August 30, 2011 file photo. North Korea is a militarized, male-dominated society, but it is women who are making the money as the insular nation allows an unofficial market-based economy to take shape. (Photo by Carlos Barria/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)

Storm clouds gather over the scene outside the Jewish Community Center in Leawood, Kansas following a shooting, on April 13, 2014. (Photo by John Sleezer/Kansas City Star/MCT)

Whether they are the hunter or the hunted, these camouflage animals show natures incredible ability to blend in with its surroundings. Pictured perfectly concealed against their natural environment, the stunning pictures show the amazing lengths some animals will go to to stay out of sight. Here: The camouflage mappet moth looks like a fall lead in Switzerland. (Photo by Thomas Marent/Caters News/Ardea)

Turkana tribesmen walk with guns to protect their cattle from rival tribes near Baragoy, Kenya August 4, 2017. (Photo by Goran Tomasevic/Reuters)

Performers ride on a train before the 40th annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade in the Brooklyn borough of New York, New York, USA, 18 June 2022. The annual event is one of the largest art parades in the country. (Photo by Yuki Iwamura/EPA/EFE)

Lenka Tanner is pictured in Nottingham, United Kingdom on March 11, 2015. She starred in the Kuoni advert, Run on Water, advertising luxury holidays. She has set up her own synchronised swimming team called AquaStars. Tanner was born in Slovakia and starting synchronised swimming at the age of six. (Photo by Lucy Ray/The Guardian)