American actress and singer Victoria Justice in the last decade of October 2025 channels her devious side. (Photo by VictoriaJustice/Instagram)

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)

Whether they are the hunter or the hunted, these camouflage animals show natures incredible ability to blend in with its surroundings. Pictured perfectly concealed against their natural environment, the stunning pictures show the amazing lengths some animals will go to to stay out of sight. Here: The camouflage mappet moth looks like a fall lead in Switzerland. (Photo by Thomas Marent/Caters News/Ardea)

Storm clouds gather over the scene outside the Jewish Community Center in Leawood, Kansas following a shooting, on April 13, 2014. (Photo by John Sleezer/Kansas City Star/MCT)

Turkana tribesmen walk with guns to protect their cattle from rival tribes near Baragoy, Kenya August 4, 2017. (Photo by Goran Tomasevic/Reuters)

“The fennec fox is a small nocturnal fox found in the Sahara of North Africa. Its most distinctive feature is unusually large ears. The name “fennec” comes from the Arabic word for fox, and the species name zerda has a Greek origin that refers to its habitat. The fennec is the smallest species of canid in the world; coat, ears and kidney functions have adapted to a high-temperature, low-water, desert environment. In addition, its hearing is sensitive enough to hear prey moving underground”. – Wikipedia

Photo: A Baby Fennec is seen at Sunshine International Aquarium on June 24, 2009 in Tokyo, Japan. The small nocturnal fox babies were born on May 17 2009. (Photo by Junko Kimura/Getty Images)

Made Mohon, the operation manager of Sangeh Monkey Forest, feeds macaques with donated peanuts during a feeding time at the popular tourist attraction site in Sangeh, Bali Island, Indonesia, Wednesday, September 1, 2021. (Photo by Firdia Lisnawati/AP Photo)

British artist Nnena Kalu's presentation during a press preview for the 2025 Turner Prize at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery in Bradford, Britain, 23 September 2025. The Turner Prize is awarded to a British artist for an outstanding exhibition or presentation during the previous year. The shortlisted artists are Nnena Kalu, Rene Matic, Mohammed Sami, and Zadie Xa. The 2025 Turner Prize is held at Cartwright Hall in recognition of Bradford's status as UK City of Culture 2025. (Photo by Adam Vaughan/EPA)