October winner. “A burst of the aurora borealis over Kirkjufell, taken in September 2016. This shot has been a holy grail for me and was finally captured after many trips”. MICK RYAN, JUDGE: Iceland is a hotspot for aurora photography and this composition of the symmetric, free-standing Kirkjufell and the trident waterfall is much-sought after. If you can time your visit when the aurora “kp” index is high and know the settings for nighttime aurora images, you may end up with a beautiful photograph like this. (Photo by DВ/The Guardian)

A woman dressed in the style of a Hindu goddess keeps her face partially covered for a ritual during Maha Shivaratri celebrations on March 12, 2021 in Kaveripattinam, India. Maha Shivaratri is a major Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the god, Shiva. The festival is observed with chanting prayers, fasting, and meditating to overcome “darkness and ignorance” in life. (Photo by Abhishek Chinnappa/Getty Images)

From Britain to China to Mali, new maps showing travel times to the nearest urban centre reveal huge differences between countries. Using Open Street Map and Google, a University of Oxford team have created a visual breakdown that suggests major inequalities when it comes to commuting. Here: China. The dataset used for China was unique as it relied solely on Open Street Map, due to restrictions on accessing Google data. The population is densely concentrated in the east and accessibility is increased, whereas rural provinces in the west remain remote. (Photo by Daniel Weiss/Jennifer Rozier/Malaria Atlas Project/University of Oxford)

A photographer takes a snapshot of the reflection of balloons as they take off from Balloon fiesta park in Corrales, N.M., near a north diversion channel reservoir Wednesday, October 7, 2015. (Photo by Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal via AP Photo)

Behaviour winner; Courting Royals: two royal terns in courtship display by Kristian Bell. Another beautiful morning on a beautiful beach on the Gulf Coast of Florida seemed to prompt these two royal terns to commence an intricate courtship dance. The photograph was taken with a Canon 300mm lens and 2x extender. (Photo by Kristian Bell/Deakin University/Royal Society Publishing Photography Competition 2018)

A lenticular cloud is seen during sunrise from Gokmen Aerospace Training Center (GUHEM) in Bursa, Turkiye on January 19, 2023. (Photo by Halit Mirahmetoglu/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

A striking spiral of golden ginkgo leaves raked with care in a private garden in Petersdorf, Brandenburg, Germany on November 2, 2025. (Photo by Patrick Pleu/dpa)

A pedestrian walks with an umbrella along a street during rainfall in Bengaluru on June 2, 2024. (Photo by Idrees Mohammed/AFP Photo)