Tony North; First place, Breathing Spaces; Overall Winner; Blue Tajinaste, La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain. “Echium thyrsiflorum is endemic to the mountains of La Palma island – from high up, there was a magnificent view of both the caldera below, and the stars above. The Unesco La Palma biosphere reserve encompasses the entire island, with the Caldera de Taburiente containing mountains with a highest peak of 2,426 metres – the Roque de los Muchachos”. (Photo by Tony North/IGPOTY)

A woman wears glasses in support of late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez during a caravan to carry Chavez's cadet saber and his dagger to the mausoleum where the politician's remains are laid to rest, in Caracas on March 15, 2023. The caravan traveled some 9 kilometers through the streets of Caracas to the Cuartel de la Montaña, also known as the Cuartel 4 de Febrero, as a reminder of the date of the failed coup led by Chavez on February 4, 1992. (Photo by Miguel Zambrano/AFP Photo)

Brazilian singer Anitta performs during the “Ensaios de Anitta” show, an event that is part of a pre-carnival tour that makes its way through several Brazilian cities, paying tribute to a samba school in each performance at the Jockey Club of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 21 January 2024. Anitta only performs this time of year in her country and said that experiencing a carnival is the best way to get to know the Brazilian people because all the energy of its people is concentrated on a single topic. (Photo by Andre Coelho/EPA/EFE)

The work entitled “Trip 1, Trip II, Trip III” by April Pine is pictured before dawn at Sculpture By The Sea at Bondi Beach on October 19, 2017 in Sydney, Australia. This year the outdoor exhibition celebrates its 21st birthday with 104 exhibiting artists from Australia and around the world and runs from the 19th October-5th November 2017. (Photo by Brook Mitchell/Getty Images)

A protester gestures after he saw a dead protester in Kampala, Uganda February 15, 2016. At least one person has been killed in Uganda's capital Kampala as police clashed with opposition supporters after briefly detaining a top presidential candidate twice as he tried to hold campaign rallies days before a general election. Several people were wounded in the clashes as police fired bullets and tear gas while opposition supporters hurled rocks and erected street barricades in the capital's Wandegeya suburb, witnesses said according to a Reuters news agency report. (Photo by Goran Tomasevic/Reuters)

A bench engraved with the name of the grounded Costa Concordia cruise ship (seen at rear) is seen washed up on the shore of Giglio island, in this January 20, 2012 file photo. The trial of Francesco Schettino, accused of causing the deaths of 32 people in the 2012 Costa Concordia cruise ship disaster, nears its climax with a verdict expected over the coming days. The prosecution has demanded that he be jailed for 26 years but the captain denies all the charges against him. Schettino was the commander of the vessel when it came too close to shore and hit rocks off the Tuscan holiday island of Giglio. (Photo by Paul Hanna/Reuters)

This is the incredible moment a fierce lightning bolt crashed against the Grand Canyon illuminating the steep canyon walls. Shrouded in darkness, the breath-taking landscape was shocked into life as mother nature sent the bolt storming down to Earth. As it cracked against the rocks the bright blue bolt illuminated the South Rim of the canyon, considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. With just the Desert View Watchtower in the foreground, the lightning was perfectly framed by the canyon which is located in Arizona, USA. (Photo by Travis Roe/U.S. Dept. of the Interior/Caters News)

Chilliwack, British Columbia-based Kevin Stone specializes in creating gargantuan, one-of-a-kind stainless steel sculptures. His towering bald eagle, called "Power and Authority," stands an astounding 20 ft high and has a massive 31 ft wingspan. He also completed an 85 feet long mirror polished stainless steel sculpture, the "Imperial Water Dragon." For almost two years, working seven days a week, he designed and created this 6000 lb, 12 ft high, 14 ft wide and 35 ft long dragon with two massive coils. It was made for River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond to celebrate the Year of the Dragon.