Maya Nakanishi of Japan competes en route to winning the women's T64 long jump at the World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai on November 11, 2019. (Photo by Christopher Pike/Reuters)

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)

The President tree is the name of a giant sequoia located in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park in the United States, east of Visalia, California. The tree is believed to be at least 3,200 years old.
The tree was named after President Warren G. Harding in 1923. Nearby trees include Chief Sequoyah, the 27th largest giant sequoia in the world, and the Congress Group, two dense stands of medium sized sequoias that represent the "House" and "Senate".

A young boy walks to his school bus on a foggy day in Dubai on March 14, 2024. (Photo by Chris Whiteoak/The National)

“The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae now found in the wild only in the Australian island state of Tasmania. The size of a small dog, it became the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world following the extinction of the thylacine in 1936. It is characterised by its stocky and muscular build, black fur, pungent odour, extremely loud and disturbing screech, keen sense of smell, and ferocity when feeding”. – Wikipedia. Photo: A Tasmanian Devil bears it's teeth at a quarantine facility August 31, 2005 in Hobart, Australia. (Photo by Ian Waldie/Getty Images)

People play ice hockey in front of the Olympic Tower near the National Stadium at Olympic Park on January 13, 2022 in Beijing, China. Playing host to the 2022 Winter Olympics has boosted the popularity of winter sports and outdoor activities in many parts of China, with the government pouring billions of dollars into developing programs, athletes, and fans. With more outdoor skating rinks, ski resorts, and other activities luring people outside, the ice and snow sports boom has created nearly 350 million winter sport enthusiasts since Beijing"u2019s successful Games bid in 2015, according to officials. China is seeking to become a winter sports destination as the global snow sports industry eyes growth in the world second largest economy. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

A replica model of a Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 in Dubai, UAE. This is the world's most expensive model car, made from carbon fibre and covered in a thin layer of pure gold. The 1:8 scale replica Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4, designed by German engineer Robert Gülpen, is available to buy for £200,000. But amazingly this model – currently on display at the Lamborghini showroom in Dubai – is just a prototype for a solid gold model, which will go up for auction in 2014 with a price tag of £4.6 million. (Photo by Robert Gulpen/Barcroft Media)

“A series of ads, developed as a creative idea for UN Women by Memac Ogilvy & Mather Dubai, uses genuine Google searches to reveal the widespread prevalence of sexism and discrimination against women. Based on searches dated 9 March, 2013 the ads expose negative sentiments ranging from stereotyping as well as outright denial of women’s rights”. – UN Women. (Photo by Ogilvy & Mather, Dubai, UAE/UN Women)