Highly commended birds : Crested guan by Tim Hunt (UK). ‘This photo shows a crested guan in the cloud forests of Costa Rica as it pauses while foraging on a lone branch. Due to the clouds that are so typical for this habitat, I could often only photograph the bird’s silhouette against a grey sky. But then, for a short moment only, the sun broke through the clouds, and I overexposed the image by over two stops in order to blow out the background and allow this beautifully marked bird to stand out’. (Photo by Tim Hunt/GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015)

“Hiding In The Shadows”. This Baby Sandhill taking refuge under Moms wings while sitting on her second egg. I witnessed this baby being born earlier that day,and the next morning saw the other one hatch,what a sight to see. Photo location: Deland, Florida. (Photo and caption by Scott Helfrich/National Geographic Photo Contest)

October winner. “A burst of the aurora borealis over Kirkjufell, taken in September 2016. This shot has been a holy grail for me and was finally captured after many trips”. MICK RYAN, JUDGE: Iceland is a hotspot for aurora photography and this composition of the symmetric, free-standing Kirkjufell and the trident waterfall is much-sought after. If you can time your visit when the aurora “kp” index is high and know the settings for nighttime aurora images, you may end up with a beautiful photograph like this. (Photo by DВ/The Guardian)

In this photograph taken on September 13, 2022, newly recruited Taliban fighters parade in armoured vehicles after their graduation ceremony in Herat. (Photo by Mohsen Karimi/AFP Photo)

Frog legs it! Indonesian flying frog tries to hitch a ride on snail's back before realising it would be quicker to hop it alone. A tiny frog struck up an unlikely friendship with a giant African land snail after clambering onto its shell to catch a ride. (Photo by Hendy Mp/SOLENT/Visual Press Agency)

An attendee at the “Eating Insects Detroit: Exploring the Culture of Insects as Food and Feed” conference at Wayne State University shows an edible freeze-dried locust insect in Detroit, Michigan May 26, 2016. (Photo by Rebecca Cook/Reuters)

As the world marks International Women's Day on Wednesday, whose theme this year focuses on “women in the changing world of work”, the Israeli military says it is ahead of the curve in providing combat roles for female soldiers. Here: A female Israeli soldier from the Haraam artillery battalion fixes her hair in the women's living quarters at a military base in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights March 1, 2017. (Photo by Nir Elias/Reuters)