A man transports passengers on an improvised motorized rickshaw during heavy rains in Agartala, India, April 20, 2018. (Photo by Jayanta Dey/Reuters)

A car drives through a flooded road following heavy rain in Gaza City on December 27, 2019. (Photo by Mohammed Abed/AFP Photo)

A man enjoys rain showers during high tides near the sea front in Mumbai on July 6, 2023. (Photo by Punit Paranjpe/AFP Photo)

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)

Men ride a scooter through a flooded street after heavy rains in New Delhi, India, August 6, 2019. (Photo by Adnan Abidi/Reuters)

A family rides a bike amid rain in Lahore on October 16, 2023. (Photo by Arif Ali/AFP Photo)

Indian mourners perform a cremation on the roof of a building overlooking The Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi on August 23, 2016. India's holy city of Varanasi has been forced to halt cremations along the banks of the sacred river Ganges as deadly floods from monsoon rains hit parts of the country, an official said. More than 100,000 people have been forced from their homes in recent days in northern Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring Bihar states as rain-swollen rivers burst their banks. (Photo by Sanjay Kanojia/AFP Photo)