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)

Arlo Dela Cruz and Maica Nicerio-Dela Cruz on their wedding day with the Mayon volcano erupting in the background, in Daraga, Albay, Philippines on January 25, 2018. They were married earlier in the afternoon at Our Lady of the Gate Parish. After their wedding they walked out to Red Labuyo restaurant and the volcano started its eruption. The Mayon volcano continued to erupt Thursday. The airport in Legazpi is closed until at least 31 January 2018. (Photo by ZUMA Press/Alamy Stock Photo)

A lizard is seen hunting for fish during the daytime on May 04, 2017 in West Sumatra, Indonesia. (Photo by Riau Images/Barcroft Images)

Police officers clear the area near Borough market at London Bridge on June 3, 2017 in London, England. Police have responded to reports of a van hitting pedestrians on London Bridge in central London. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Empty gloves are seen at the side of a tray of Maryland Blue Crabs at Maine Avenue Fish Market which is the United States oldest fish market in continual operation since 1805, in Washington, U.S., May 6, 2019. (Photo by Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters)

A duck salesman parades his stock to commuters at a busy station in Dhaka, Bangladesh on May 23, 2018. (Photo by Nazmul Hasan Khan/Caters News Agency)

Photo taken on October 11, 2020 shows a golden monkey at Dalongtan Golden Monkey Research Center in Shennongjia National Park of central China's Hubei Province. With the efforts of local authority and improvement of the environment in the past many years, the number of golden monkeys in Shennongjia area reached nearly 1,500 nowadays. (Photo by Xinhua News Agency/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Underground dancers dressed in Spiderman costumes perform in the subway of Saint Petersburg late on May 21, 2021. (Photo by Olga Maltseva/AFP Photo)