Bouwe Brouwer: Postcards from Fryslân (series finalist). “People from Fryslân are looked upon by the rest of the Netherlands as stubborn people. Going back as far as the Spanish occupation, they have a history of resisting authority. Postcards from Fryslân is still an ongoing project – hopefully a lifelong one. When it started, it represented only a collection of places that seemed interesting. Currently, the hope is to cover most of the province, as you never know in advance where the best narratives are. But still, it is all candid, unposed and in the public realm”. (Photo by Bouwe Brouwer/Street Photographers Awards 2021)

Kimono-clad young women take their selfies near a venue during the Coming of Age Day celebration ceremony in Yokohama, Japan on January 9, 2023. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)

«Little Red Riding Hood». “The moment I pulled this sweater out of the drawer for Frankie I knew what I wanted for my picture today. I envisioned the look, the style, and the composition. When working with a 2 year old it is never easy to actually get the shot you want, especially when they decide to skip nap time. But I really like how this one turned out” – Rich. (Photo by Rich)

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)

An armed forces members patrol during an operation against drug dealers in Vila Kennedy slum in Rio de Janeiro, March 7, 2018. (Photo by Pilar Olivares/Reuters)

A hungry cow smiles for the camera in Salzburg, Austria. One of a series of funny animal mugshots taken by Chanel Cartell and Stevo Dirnberger during their travels around the globe. (Photo by Chanel Cartell/Stevo Dirnberger/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

American singer/songwriter Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, known professionally as Halsey arrives at Playboy's Midsummer Night's Dream at the Marquee Nightclub at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on July 29, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images)

An instructor dances as participants follow the dance steps in a Bihu dance workshop ahead of the Rongali Bihu Festival in Guwahati, India, on April 8, 2025. (Photo by David Talukdar/NurPhoto/Rex Features/Shutterstock)