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)

“Aurora over a glacier lagoon”. A vivid green overheaded aurrora pictured in Iceland's Vatnajokull National Park reflected almost symetrically in Jokulsrlon Glacier lagoon. A complete lack of wind and currrent combin in this sheltred lagoon scene to crete an arresting mirror effect giving the image a sensation of utter stillness. Despite theis there is motion on a suprising scale, as the loops and arcs of the aurora are shaped by the shifting forces of the Earth's magnetic field. James Woodend of Great Britain won the grand prize with the image, beating out more than 2,500 other entries. The Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 contest is judged by the Royal Observatory Greenwich and BBC Sky at Night magazine. (Photo by James Woodend/The Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2014 Contest)

Spanish actress Rossy de Palma poses as she arrives by taxi boat at the pier of the Excelsior Hotel on August 30, 2019 during the 76th Venice Film Festival at Venice Lido. (Photo by Alberto Pizzoli/AFP Photo)

Models walk the runway at the annual Victoria's Secret fashion show at Earls Court on December 2, 2014 in London, England. (Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)

The Duchess of Cambridge joins Family Action at a Christmas Tree Farm to mark her new patronage, in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, UK, on the 4th December 2019. (Photo by James Whatling/The Mega Agency)

A police officer pepper sprays a protester as another protester stands in front of the race director's car during a farmers' protest who attempted to block the stage' s route, during the 16 th stage of the 105 th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, between Carcassonne and Bagneres- de- Luchon, southwestern France, on July 24, 2018. The race was halted for several minutes on July 24 after tear gas was used as protesting farmers attempted to block the route. (Photo by Stephane Mahe/Reuters)

American actress Dakota Johnson at the Red-Carpet World Premiere of Columbia Pictures' MADAME WEB at the Regency Village Westwood Theater on February 12, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stewart Cook/Getty Images for Sony Pictures)

A Pomeranian dog sits in a rolling pet carrier in Hong Kong, China on September 4, 2019. (Photo by Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters)