Guardian of the Mangroves – Overall Winner. Tanya Houppermans, Cuba. A curious American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) swims right up to Tanya, at Gardens of the Queen (Jardines De La Reina), an archipelago off the coast of Cuba. It has been strictly protected since 1996, and is one of the most untouched marine ecosystems in the world. ‍ “The healthy population of American crocodiles is down to the pristine condition of the mangroves and I wanted to capture close ups of this gentle giant in its natural habitat. I hope this image can illustrate that protecting areas like this is so critical”. (Photo by Tanya Griffin Houppermans/Mangrove Photographer of the Year)

Dogs and owners run during of 4k pet run “A Race with a Cause”, organized to raise funds for a shelter for rescued dogs in Caracas, Venezuela, Sunday, April 30, 202. (Photo by Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo)

in WA police cordon guards the house of Poland's ruling conservative party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski against a crowd protesting a decision by the Constitutional Court, in Warsaw, Poland, on Friday, October 23, 2020. Poland’s top court ruled Thursday that a law allowing abortion of fetuses with congenital defects is unconstitutional, shutting a major loophole in the predominantly Catholic country's abortion laws that are among the strictest in Europe. Defying the pandemic-related ban on gatherings, the protesters chanted for the government to resign. (Photo by Czarek Sokolowski/AP Photo)

Midnight at the Palace, at Big Yin at Gilded Balloon Patter House during Edinburgh fringe 2025 in the first decade of August 2025. (Photo by Damian Robertson/The Guardian)

Traffic enforcer Ramiro Hinojas, 51, wears a Santa Claus costume while directing motorists through traffic at an intersection in Pasay City, Metro Manila, Philippines on November 28, 2017. (Photo by Romeo Ranoco/Reuters)

Jodie Comer reacts as she wins Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for “Killing Eve” at the Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, U.S., September 22, 2019. (Photo by Mike Blake/Reuters)

A woman holds up an umbrella and license plates, one that reads “love”, during violent protests between riot police and demonstrators in the Causeway Bay district of Hong Kong on October 1, 2019. The city observes the National Day holiday to mark the 70th anniversary of communist China's founding Strife-torn Hong Kong on October 1 marked the 70th anniversary of communist China's founding with defiant “Day of Grief” protests and fresh clashes with police as pro-democracy activists ignored a ban and took to the streets across the city. (Photo by Nicolas Asfouri/AFP Photo)

Fans react as Danish singer Thomas Helmig performs during a concert at the Northside Festival in Aarhus, Denmark on June 3, 2022. (Photo by Helle Arensbak/Ritzau Scanpix via Reuters)