Underwater photographer of the year – winner. Dancing Octopus by Gabriel Barathieu (France). Location: Island of Mayotte, off the coast of south-east Africa. “Balletic and malevolent”, one judge said of this octopus, hunting in a lagoon. Barathieu waited until spring tides when there was just 30cm of water on the flats and plenty of light in the shallows. (Photo by Gabriel Barathieu/UPY2017)

The “Dancing With Costica” series began when Australia-based photographer Jane Long decided to brush up on her retouching skills. After finding the Costica Acsinte Archive on Flickr, she became fascinated with the images and their subjects, wanting to bring them to life and give them a story. Here: the Costica photo on the left inspired Jane Long to create her version, titled “Innocence”. (Photo by Costica Acsinte Archive/Jane Long)

“Photographer Seth Casteel has definitely taken animal photography to new heights – or depths – with his hilarious photos of dogs chasing balls underwater. Casteel, who, naturally, has two dogs of his own (a mini Labradoodle and a Norwich terrier), said that he's drawn to underwater dog photography because the photos show a side of dogs that people may have never seen before”.

Photo: Seth Casteel Underwater Dog Pictures (Photo by Seth Casteel)

Children, wearing traditional Bavarian folk costumes specific to their region, prepare for the competition in the “Schuhplattler” style of Bavarian folk dancing for the Bavarian Lion Award at the Huosigau Heimat and Folklore Society on May 28, 2011 in Weilheim, Germany. (Photo by Johannes Simon/Getty Images)

This beautiful set of images capture the moment a young ballet dancer interacts with her four-legged friends against some iconic backdrops including the Church of the Savior on Blood and the Admiralty building in Saint Petersburg. The enchanted photos were taken by Andrey Seliverstov, 59 from Saint Petersburg, Russia. Here: Nine year old Maria Palkina dancing with dogs. (Photo by Andrey Seliverstov/Caters News Agency)

Hungarian pole dancing champion Zsofia Komenda performs during the rehearsal of her unique show on a suspended pole in Budapest's Grand Circus, Hungary, June 17, 2016. (Photo by Laszlo Balogh/Reuters)

People help a dancer as he falls on stilts in honor of Saint Mary Magdalene in a street for the traditional “Danza de Los Zancos” (Los Zancos Dance), in the small town of Anguiano, northern Spain, Saturday, July 23, 2016. As an ancient tradition for more than 4th centuries, eight young people from the town balance on stilts down the old street, turning to the sound of folk music played on a pipe and drum. (Photo by Alvaro Barrientos/AP Photo)

A member of the “Avocadoo” club performs a pole dance on a street sign pole in Lodz, central Poland on June 27, 2013. Talk about a traffic stopper: three pole dancers in central Poland have been honing their skills out in the streets, throwing their legs around signposts to the surprise and delight of many a passerby. (Photo by Janek Skarzynski/AFP Photo)