British Waters Wide Angle category runner-up. Grass snake swimming along a garden pond by Jack Perks (UK)in Nottinghamshire, UK. “I’m always on the lookout for unusual freshwater subjects and grass snakes are a species I’ve been after for years. I was told about a pond where the odd grass snake hangs around the lilly pads for frogs. I put my drysuit on and got into the water and could see one slithering along the surface. Slowly making my way towards it with my head only just poking above I got the spilt shot”. (Photo by Jack Perks/Underwater Photographer of the Year 2019)

Brian Skerry can be called many things – explorer, journalist, conservation advocate – but he is first and foremost a photographer. His journeys to capture amazing underwater photographs have taken him across the world’s oceans. Photo: This Bahamian oceanic whitetip shark, known for the distinctive coloring on its white-tipped, rounded extremities, is part of a globally threatened species due to overfishing demands, primarily for its fins. (Photo by Brian Skerry)

A Nepalese woman wearing a mask as a precaution against the coronavirus stands next to the clothing store in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, April 26, 2022. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)

A view of an installation as part of the “S.A.C.R.E.D” exhibition by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei during the 55th La Biennale of Venice, in the church of Sant'Antonin in Venice May 28, 2013. (Photo by Stefano Rellandini/Reuters)

Singer Whitney Houston performs onstage at the 2009 American Music Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on November 22, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Scientists trekking for days to the undisputed furthest north land point on the planet, in October 2024 were greeted by an unexpected welcoming party: a stoat, whom they named Randall. The team were heading to Kaffeklubben Island, also known as Inuit Qeqertaat, off the northern tip of Greenland, about 440 miles from the North Pole, when Randall emerged from a cairn of rocks, showing no fear as he went to investigate them. (Photo by Jeff Kerby/Magnus News)

A Sphynx cat stares sitting on its owner's lap during an international feline beauty competition in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, April 14, 2018. More than 250 cats take part in the two-day competition in the Romanian capital. (Photo by Vadim Ghirda/AP Photo)

The thousands of students gathered at Newcastle Racecourse near Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom on March 3, 2019 for a booze-filled night of mayhem. The last race ended at approximately 8pm then the grandstand became like a night-club. (Photo by Craig Connor/North News and Pictures)