“Festive preparation”. Baghnapara, Bardhaman, West Bengal, India. Two girls prepare for the Gajan festival. They will perform a play based on Indian mythology. (Photo by Krishnasis Ghosh)

Model Emily Ratajkowski attends the “Loveless (Nelyubov)” screening during the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 18, 2017 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Stephane Mahe/Reuters)

Festival goers having fun at the Balaton Sound music festival in Zamardi next to the Lake of Balaton, 110 km (68 miles) west of Budapest, July 8, 2017. (Photo by Sandor Csudai)

Youths smeared in coloured powder and dressed as Lord Krishna (L) and deity Radha (R) celebrate with others the Holi festival, the Hindu spring festival of colours, in Kolkata on March 17, 2022. (Photo by Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP Photo)

Festival-goers take photo inside of Spectra, a seven-story spiral walkway up to a viewing deck, at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California, on April 17, 2022. (Photo by Valerie Macon/AFP Photo)

General view of festival goers at the main stage on Day 3 of Download festival at Donnington Park on June 12, 2022 in Donnington, England. (Photo by Chris Bethell/The Guardian)

Festival goers attend the 2023 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 14, 2023 in Indio, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Coachella)

With its huge eyes, comical name and diminutive size, Mark R. Smith’s image of a baby Hawaiian bobtail squid can’t help but raise a smile. A curiously endearing creature, the cephalopod is just 1.5cm across, its mantle cavity bearing more than a passing resemblance to a rather natty shower cap. But it is also a beautiful example of symbiosis – nature’s version of “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine” – for on the underside of the squid is a light organ which houses bioluminescent bacteria. The squid offers the bacteria protection and food, while the bacteria emit a glow – a handy trait that the squid uses to offset its silhouette, helping it to evade predators in the depths below. Mark R. Smith’s entry combines several images of a Hawaiian bobtail squid with different focus lengths to create a final picture with greater depth of field than normal. (Photo by Mark R. Smith/Wellcome Images/Macroscopic Solutions)