A woman wearing a costume takes selfies while waiting for a photo shooting session in front of the Saint Sophia Cathedral in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, China on January 5, 2024. (Photo by Tingshu Wang/Reuters)

Models prepare backstage before a creation from the Saint Joy by Bian Huizhong during the China Fashion Week in Beijing on March 30, 2023. (Photo by Wang Zhao/AFP Photo)

A young Catholic waits for the start of mass at the church of Saint John the Baptist during the mud festival at Bibiclat, Nueva Ecija province, northern Philippines, Monday, June 24, 2024. (Photo by Aaron Favila/AP Photo)

A street artist, calling on people to visit an amusement park, walks past the military-themed street exhibition “Together to Victory” in Saint Petersburg on February 3, 2025. (Photo by Olga Maltseva/AFP Photo)

“Sometimes i feel like photographers have uncovered a special secret. A crazy, amazing, and beautiful secret. The key to truly living. All i want is to be alive”. – Karrah Kobus

Photo: “All my life i lived in a bubble”. (Photo by Karrah Kobus)

Honorable Mention: “The Storm”. During I was taking photo with my nephew, the storm came and I caught this beautiful moment. Photo location: Kocaeli, Turkey. (Photo and caption by Aytül Akbaş/National Geographic Photo Contest)