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)

Pinot noir vineyards in the famed Sta. Rita Hills AVA turn a vivid red, orange, and yellow, signaling the end of the grape harvest and approach of winter as viewed on November 26, 2023, near Buellton, California. Following the notoriety from the Academy Award-winning film Sideways, this buccolic farming region north of Santa Barbara has become a popular Wine Country stop for global and domestic tourists traveling between San Francisco and Los Angeles. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)

A thrill-seeking storm chaser captured the precise moment these giant lightning bolts lit up dark skies in a series of incredible storms. (Photo by Craig Eccles/Solent News & Photo Agency)

These stunning images show the beauty and drama of Mother Nature at work. Captured deep in heart of the Danakil Desert in East Africa, the images show the acid pools near the Erta Ale volcano. Pools of brightly colored acid can be seen amid the dramatic blast of volcanic ash. The photos were taken by Neta Dekel, an Israeli photographer. He the acid pools were one of the most extraordinary sights he had ever seen. (Photo by Neta Dekel/Caters News Agency)

A British Airways passenger plane flies in front of the moon above London, Britain, May 3, 2018. (Photo by Toby Melville/Reuters)

This fascinating photo series looks at the bleak isolation of Chernobyl as never before. Employing infrared filters, photographer Vladimir Mitgutin is able to bring out details of decay – an abandoned bus, a radar system, an amusement park, a doll, a sports hall, a piano – frozen in time. Here: Simon – a friendly fox, who often approaches tourists in the exclusion zone, asking for food. (Photo by Vladimir Mitgutin/Caters News Agency)

A visitor is reflected in a light installation at Mulberry Lights on Regent Street in London, UK on November 16, 2018. Visitors have fun taking selfies and posing with the colourful light installations. Mulberry Lights is a series of illuminating interactive experiences that celebrate how light, colour, shapes and people come together to create a modern British Christmas. (Photo by Imageplotter/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

“GoPro is a brand of the privately owned San Mateo, California company Woodman Labs that features “wearable” camera/camcorders such as helmet cameras that are targeted at adventure video/photography. Widely used by professionals and hobbyists”. – Wikipedia. Photo: “Skydiving fun in Miami by Ralph Turner. This is a shot I took yesterday at Skydive Miami during a fun jump with friend Dexter Marcelino”. (Photo by Ralph Turner)