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)

Second Place Winner: “Thunderstorm at False Kiva”. I hiked out to these ruins at night hoping to photograph them with the Milky Way, but instead a thunderstorm rolled through, creating this dramatic image. – Max Seigal. National Geographic Traveler Director of Photography Dan Westergren, one of this year's judges, shares his thoughts on the second place winner: “This photo combines two different scenes into one: the small kiva in a cliff dwelling and the grand vista of Canyonlands National Park across the valley. I really like the two different color palettes – warm inside and purple outside. This two-for-one scene was caused by the lightning storm outside the dwelling, which lit up the landscape like it was a huge electronic flash. Looking at this picture I can imagine what a wonderful sight it must have been for the ancient people who lived here. It doesn't seem too amazing now in our modern world, but might have been mind-blowing for the prehistoric residents”. Location: Utah. (Photo and caption by Max Seigal/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

In this photo taken Thursday, May 7, 2015 photo, remains of Soviet soldiers killed during World War II lay in a coffin prior to a reburial ceremony at the Sinyavino Heights memorial near the village of Sinyavino, 50 km (31 miles) east of St. Petersburg, Russia. Hundreds of people came to a World War II battleground outside St. Petersburg this week to bury the remains of 964 Soviet soldiers recovered by volunteer search teams. Fifty crimson coffins containing skulls and bones were solemnly buried at the Sinyavino Heights memorial as Russian war songs played and an honor guard fired a salute. (Photo by Dmitry Lovetsky/AP Photo)

A tree frog uses a leaf as an umbrella in pouring rain in Karacabey floodplain near the city of Bursa, Turkey in the first decade of June 2023. (Photo by Savas Sener/Solent News & Photo Agency)

Manchester City's English midfielder Kalvin Phillips (C) pours alcohol in the mouth of Manchester City's English midfielder Jack Grealish (L) as they celebrate on stage following an open-top bus victory parade for their European Cup, FA Cup and Premier League victories, in Manchester, northern England on June 12, 2023. (Photo by Oli Scarff/AFP Photo)

These goats threw caution to the wind and scaled this Argan tree right to the very top, even balancing on the most unsturdy of branches. It looks like a bit of a baa-lancing act, but the goats hooves are perfectly adapted to climbing the trees, where they graze on the Argan fruit. Amateur photographer Burak Senbak, 51, took these photos whilst travelling through Morocco in July 2016. Burak is originally from Turkey and works as a mechanical engineer, but has pursued his passion for photography for 10 years. Intrigued by the sight of goats in a tree, Burak couldnt resist the opportunity to take some photos, and said the goats proved a perfect subject. (Photo by Burak Senbak/Caters News)

In this photo released by the Newton Fire department, a juvenile raccoon looks out from a grate after getting stuck in Newton, Massachusetts on August 1, 2019. The fire department was able to rescue the raccoon and free him from the grate. (Photo by HO/Newton Fire Department/AFP Photo)

Spot-billed pelican interact on the banks of an artificial lake in Colombo on September 28, 2021. (Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)