First place, The Beauty of Plants. “There are many stages of lotus growth on display at the Aquatic Gardens, but to come across twotwisted dancing stems of nelumbo nucifera was unexpected and quite magical”. (Photo by Kathleen Furey/The Guardian)

A child stands inside a large soap bubble made by a street artist at the Mayor square in central Madrid, Friday, December 9, 2016. (Photo by Francisco Seco/AP Photo)

Cars drive under a rainbow near Bad Langensalza, Germany, Wednesday, November 2, 2016. (Photo by Jens Meyer/AP Photo)

A woman walks with a squirrel on her shoulder at Maeklong market at the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand September 20, 2016. (Photo by Jorge Silva/Reuters)

A young Shiite Muslim child participates in a Muharram procession in Ahmadabad, India, Sunday, October 9, 2016. (Photo by Ajit Solanki/AP Photo)

A group of fashionable nonagenarians pose for a photo in Pengzhou, Sichuan, China on October 12, 2016. (Photo by Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A flock of starlings flies over Lake Leman on an autumn morning in the Lavaux near Grandvaux, Switzerland October 20, 2016. (Photo by Denis Balibouse/Reuters)

Commuters hang off a local passenger train in the morning in Colombo, Sri Lanka September 8, 2016. (Photo by Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters)