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)

“A ball girl is an individual who retrieves balls for players or officials in a variety of sports including association football, American football, tennis, baseball and basketball”. – Wikipedia

Photo: A ball girl runs with 2 balls for Ivo Karlovic of Croatia against Fernando Verdasco of Spain in their second round match during the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open tennis tournament at the Caja Magica on on May 11, 2010 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

A moment of intimacy at the Sydney Cherry Blossom festival in Auburn Botanic Gardens on August 19, 2024. (Photo by Mike Bowers/The Guardian)

A Beija-Flor samba school member performs during the second night of the Carnival parade at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on February 25, 2020. (Photo by Sergio Moraes/Reuters)

Claudia Gadelha (L) of Brazil fights with Jessica Aguilar of Mexico during their Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) match, a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) competition in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil August 1, 2015. (Photo by Ricardo Moraes/Reuters)

In this Thursday, March 19, 2015 photo, workers in outfits made from scrap material parade through a farm on the rooftop of a door manufacturer in Chongqing municipality in southwest China. Employees of the company designed and modeled their garments as part of an environmental sustainability-themed fashion show, which was held by the firm as a morale-booster for employees. (Photo by AP Photo)

A woman sports a rainbow painted hand at the annual PrideFest celebration at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado June 18, 2016. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)

Rio de Janeiro's state military policemen aim their guns during a violent protest in a favela next to Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro on April 22, 2014. Violent protests broke out in Rio's landmark beachfront district, Copacabana, following the death of a resident last weekend during clashes with the Army in a nearby favela. (Photo by Christophe Simon/AFP Photo)