Merit Prize Winner: “A Well Earned Rest in the Sahara”. This photo of Moussa Macher, our Tuareg guide, was taken at the summit of Tin-Merzouga, the largest dune (or erg) in the Tadrat region of the Sahara desert in southern Algeria. Moussa rested while waiting for us to finish our 45-minute struggle to the top. It only took ten minutes of rolling, running, and jumping to get back down. The Tadrat is part of the Tassili N'Ajjer National Park World Heritage area, famous for its red sand and engravings and rock paintings of cattle, elephants, giraffes, and rhinos that lived there when the climate was milder. Photo location: Summit of Tin-Merzouga, Tadrat, Tassili N'Ajjer National Park, Algeria. (Photo and caption by Evan Cole/National Geographic Photo Contest)

A Palestinian man dressed as Santa Claus gestures as he rides a camel in Jerusalem's Old City during Christmas celebrations, on December 23, 2021. (Photo by Ahmad Gharabli/AFP Photo)

Border Security Force (BSF) soldiers ride their camels as they take part in a rehearsal for a road show ahead of the visit of U.S. President Donald Trump, in Ahmedabad, India, February 21, 2020. (Photo by Amit Dave/Reuters)

A camel wearing a hat amid a heatwave, looks on, in front of the Great Pyramids of Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt on July 19, 2023. (Photo by Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters)

This camel clearly didnt get the hump about having its picture taken after posing for a selfie. Pictured joining in with the group photo, the hilarious photo shows the delighted desert dweller smiling happily for the camera. Captured by friends Hossam Antikka, 20, Karem Abdelaziz, 22, and Misara Salah, 24, the group spent around half an hour feeding the camel before deciding to take a snap of their new found friend. (Photo by Karem Abdelaziz/Caters News)

Arabian Saluki dogs chase a lure during a race at the Mazayin Dhafra Camel Festival in the desert near the city of Madinat Zayed, 150 kms west of Abu Dhabi, on December 26, 2017. The festival, which attracts participants from around the Gulf region, includes a camel beauty contest, a display of UAE handcrafts and other activities aimed at promoting the country's folklore. (Photo by Karim Sahib/AFP Photo)

A sacrificial camel gets a haircut with patterns at the animal market on the outskirts of Karachi, Pakistan September 22, 2015. Muslims across the world are preparing to celebrate the annual festival of Eid al-Adha or the Feast of the Sacrifice, which marks the end of the annual haj pilgrimage, by slaughtering goats, sheep, cows and camels in commemoration of the Prophet Abraham's readiness to sacrifice his son to show obedience to Allah. Eid al-Adha in India falls on September 25. (Photo by Akhtar Soomro/Reuters)

Rajasthani Artist During Closing ceremony of annual Camel Fair in Pushkar, India on November 8, 2022. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)