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)

Higgs the kitten loves exploring the great outdoors - by going on holiday in his owner’s rucksack.
The adorable five-month-old took his first steps outdoors while holidaying in the Highlands with owners Christian Witte and Kimia Mohammadi last month. But scared by the strong winds along the coastline of Sanna Bay, he scrambled up on Christian's back before hopping into his backpack.

This photo of an elephant seal and Gentoo penguin shot by Andrew James in Yankee Harbour, Antarctica. (Photo by Andrew James/Travel Photographer of the Year)

London-based, award winning, Scottish, documentary and street photographer Dougie Wallace, “Glasweegee” grew up in Glasgow. He has lived in east London for 15 years but spends a lot of time travelling abroad in search of subjects.

P.S. Unfortunately, the author doesn't make comments on the photos, therefore it's necessary to guess where there are events: in Thailand, India, Russia or France. On the other hand, photos are very fine in itself, therefore it's absolutely unimportant. Seriously – the magnificent photographer. Enjoy!

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 woman at Foyles bookshop looks at a copy of J. K. Rowling's latest novel “The Casual Vacancy” which has gone on sale today starting at 8:00 am on September 27, 2012 in London, England. “The Casual Vacancy” is J. K. Rowling's first book aimed at an adult readership and is centered on a parish council election in a small West Country town. (Photo by Oli Scarf)

“Super Enerji”. Taken on my road trip through Turkey. (Photo and caption by Michelle Brandemuehl/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

ATTENTION! All pictures are presented in high resolution. To see Hi-Res images – just TWICE click on any picture. In other words, click small picture – opens the BIG picture. Click BIG picture – opens VERY BIG picture.

A visitor views a human body specimen during the “Human Body's Wonder Scientific Travelling Exhibition” at the Haikou Gymnasium April 30, 2006 in Haikou of Hainan Province, China. The exhibition displays 13 complete real human body specimens and about 300 pieces of small samples, such as organs, skin, etc with the purpose to promote science and help people know more about their bodies. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)