Nature – first prize, stories. Pandemic Pigeons – A Love Story. The photographer’s daughter, Merel, cowers after Dollie flies past and perches on the balcony before entering the house in Vlaardingen in the Netherlands on 6 April 2020. “She’s still frightened when Dollie suddenly lands on the balcony railing. I hide my smile behind the camera, as I try to comfort her by saying they won’t hurt you. “I thought he was going to attack me”, she replies. As the nesting pigeons keep coming back to our place, slowly my girls have started to appreciate them – perhaps not as much as I do, but it’s a start”. (Photo by Jasper Doest/World Press Photo 2021)

Carine Louis-Jean, 22, poses for a photograph in her destroyed house after Hurricane Matthew hit Jeremie, Haiti, October 17, 2016. “The roof of my house is completely gone and some of walls were destroyed. I have lost everything I had, but I thank God that I have a friend who is letting me stay at her house. I could say I'm lucky, because none of my family died during the hurricane, but I do not think I'm lucky”, said Louis-Jean. (Photo by Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

Photographer Frank Relle takes long-exposure images of houses in New Orleans. Says Relle, “The city at night comes alive for me. I imagine stories about the people’s lives inside the homes based on the evidence on the outside. My photographs become a portrait without the person. The night obscures details and the lack of information gives possibility”. Photo: “Telemachus”. Farragut Street, New Orleans, La. Nov. 2006. (Photo by Frank Relle)

“In spring of 2010 I wanted to try something new and stopped being an architect. That 'something new' turned out to be photography. Wedding photography – to be exact. Today I travel around the world with my personal projects and commissions knowing that there is a lot more exiting stuff to be tried out. Don't be afraid to change something in your life, because for me that was one of the best decisions”. – Tadao Cern (Photo by Tadao Cern)

“Himalayan Dog”. This dog just appeared out of nowhere and followed us for an entire week during our trekking trip in the Himalayan outback. He always used to sleep in front of our tent and guarded us in the nights. When I decided to get up at 4 a.m. to climb the next 5000 m peak for sunrise he accompanied me as well. On the top he was sitting for the entire 30 minutes on this place looking straight into the countryside. Photo location: Ladakh, India. (Photo and caption by Sebastian Wahlhuetter/National Geographic Photo Contest)