The shoemaker in Turkey, the potato seller in Vietnam, and the weaver in Bolivia are among the billions of low-income entrepreneurs who make the world go round. They are also the type of people who can benefit significantly from microfinance. Every year, the Consultative Group To Assist The Poor (or CGAP) hosts a photo contest asking entrants to submit photos based around the idea of microfinance.The purpose of the contest is to give amateur and professional photographers a chance to show the different ways that poor households manage their financial lives and make their lives better through financial inclusion. Photo: South Asia Regional Winner – “Bricks Worker”, Bangladesh. A private enterprise worker is working at a brick field. These small businesses are creating new job opportunities for many poor people. (Photo by Moksumul Haque)

What would superheroes do if they had a part time job? Well… besides fighting crime, the powers of most superheroes aren’t exactly very useful. Sure, Flash would make a great delivery boy, delivering the freshest pizza in the world, while Thor might turn out to be a great smith (though judging by the way he handles his mallet, it is very unlikely), but in the end of the day, all these things are pretty useless. It sure is hard being a superhero when you have no villains to catch; especially if the only superpower that you have is lighting yourself on fire. Reducing you to a mere job of being used as fuel for cooking grilled chicken. Besides, it’s not exactly useful for catching villains either, if you don't plan on burning them alive… (Photo by Chow Hon Lam)

Real life doll Alina Kovalevskaya poses for a photograph on May 29, 2014 in Odessa, Ukraine. Alina Kovalevskaya is a walking, talking, breathing living doll on the lookout for her real-life Ken. The 21-year-old is from Odessa, Ukraine – the same city as real-life Barbie Valeria Lukyanova, who has made headlines around the world for her unique look and controversial opinions. The pair were friends, but their relationship has since soured. Alina has made a splash online, with her YouTube videos showing off her doll-like charms attracting hundreds of thousands of views. (Photo by Aleksey Solodunov/Barcroft Media)

“Daredevil photographer Krystle Wright suffered a catalogue of injuries after an accident on a shoot in Pakistan. The 26-year-old was left with internal bruising, tendon damage, two fractures, a torn ligament and 10 stitches above her eye following the horrific fall in the Himalayas. Wright took to the air on a dual paraglider and flew at a stomach-churning 18,000 feet to capture the incredible images. But as she neared the end of her trip Wright hit a bolder and blacked out following a bad take-off. The keen photographer, from Queensland, Australia, has travelled the world shooting some of the most awe-inspiring extreme sport stunts”. – Caters News. Photo: Screenshot of Krystle and Hernan, taken on a foot mounted GoPro. (Photo by Krystle Wright/Caters News)

“Microscope images forge an extraordinary bond between science and art, said Hidenao Tsuchiya, Olympus America's Vice President and General Manager for the Scientific Equipment Group. We founded this competition to focus on the fascinating stories coming out of today's life science research laboratories. The thousands of images that people have shared with the competition over the years reflect some of the most exciting work going on in research today – work that can help shed light on the living universe and ultimately save lives. We look at BioScapes and these beautiful images as sources of education and inspiration to us and the world”. – OlympusBioScapes

Photo: Pretarsus of the third leg of a female drone fly (Eristalis tenax), ventral view, by Dr. Jan Michels, Institute of Zoology, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Germany. (Photo by Olympus BioScapes)

A mobile phone cover with a picture of Russian President Vladimir Putin and which reads “Mr President” is seen in this photo illustration taken a in hotel room in Kazan, Russia, July 30, 2015. He may be in charge of an economy in crisis, but if mobile phone covers and souvenir mugs are a barometer of popularity, Russian President Vladimir Putin need not fear for his political future. In fact, Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine last year has given the memorabilia makers even more material to glorify, sometimes wryly, a president whose image as a champion of Russian national interests in a hostile world is barely challenged in his own country. (Photo by Stefan Wermuth/Reuters)

A journalist reports on a ladder outside the Great Hall of the People during the opening session of the National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, China March 5, 2018. The NPC has over 3,000 delegates and is the world's largest parliament or legislative assembly though its function is largely as a formal seal of approval for the policies fixed by the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party. The NPC runs alongside the annual plenary meetings of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), together known as “Lianghui” or “Two Meetings”. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)