A participant runs towards the waters of the North Sea during the annual New Year's plunge event in Ostend, Belgium, January 2, 2016. (Photo by Francois Lenoir/Reuters)

Grand title winner: Environmental photographer of the year. The Bitter Death Of Birds by Mehdi Mohebi Pour. This photo shows the efforts of the environmental forces to collect the bodies and prevent the spread of this disease. The Miankaleh wetland is being destroyed by changes in the climate and it is my duty as a photographer to highlight these problems and create a record for history. I want to prevent the complete destruction of the wetland and the potential environmental disaster by showing the issues and threats to these beautiful natural places. (Photo by Mehdi Mohebi Pour/Environmental Photographer of the Year)

Tony North; First place, Breathing Spaces; Overall Winner; Blue Tajinaste, La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain. “Echium thyrsiflorum is endemic to the mountains of La Palma island – from high up, there was a magnificent view of both the caldera below, and the stars above. The Unesco La Palma biosphere reserve encompasses the entire island, with the Caldera de Taburiente containing mountains with a highest peak of 2,426 metres – the Roque de los Muchachos”. (Photo by Tony North/IGPOTY)

Champagne Taittinger Food for Celebration – Dinner with the King and Queen of Sweden. “Sverigemiddagen (the Dinner of Sweden), an annual event held at the Royal Castle in Stockholm, celebrates individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to their local communities. Invited guests are honoured for their achievements and are hosted by the King and Queen of Sweden at a grand dinner”. (Photo by Jonas Borg/Pink Lady Food Awards 2023)

Nasoin Akhter, 15, has her makeup done at a beauty parlor on the day of her wedding to a 32-year-old man, August 20, 2015, in Manikganj, Bangladesh. In June of this year, Human Rights Watch released a damning report about child marriage in Bangladesh. The country has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world, with 29% of girls marrying before the age of 15, and 65% of girls marrying before they turn 18. (Photo by Allison Joyce/Getty Images)

The Chinese community in Glasgow celebrate Chinese New Year in Glasgow City Chamber on January 29, 2017. The Chinese Lunar New Year also known as the Spring Festival, which is based on the Lunisolar Chinese calendar, is celebrated from the first day of the first month of the lunar year and ends with Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day. (Photo by Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images)

Members of a Chinese opera take a selfie before a performance at a shopping mall ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations in Bangkok, Thailand, February 4, 2016. (Photo by Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)

A man wears a costume during a parade to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year, which welcomes the Year of the Monkey, in Madrid, Spain, February 13, 2016. (Photo by Andrea Comas/Reuters)