Polar frame, by Dmitry Kokh, Russia. When Kokh’s boat approached the small island of Kolyuchin in the Russian High Arctic, which had been abandoned by humans since 1992, he was surprised to spot movement in one of the houses. Binoculars revealed polar bears – more than 20 in total – exploring the ghost town. Dmitry used a low-noise drone to document them. (Photo by Dmitry Kokh/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2022)

People wade through a road flooded by heavy rain in Kurume, Fukuoka prefecture, western Japan, Saturday, August 14, 2021. Torrential rain pounding southwestern Japan triggered a mudslide early Friday that swallowed some people and was threatening to cause flooding and more landslides in the region. (Photo by Kyodo News via AP Photo)

Iraqi teenagers swim in waste water from the nearby Tuweitha nuclear facility near Baghdad, Iraq on May 28, 2003. Iraqis are consuming contaminated water unaware of the dangerous pollutants that can cause severe ill health. (Photo by Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

A Guarani Mbya man smokes a pipe next to a cut tree as he occupies land as a protest against real estate developer Tenda which plans to build apartment buildings here, next to his indigenous community's land in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Thursday, February 6, 2020. In response to an injunction filed by the builder, a judge has authorized the eviction of the indigenous protesters from the builder's property. (Photo by Andre Penner/AP Photo)

Shooting star by Tony Wu, US/Japan. Winner, underwater. The electrifying reproductive dance of a giant sea star. As the surrounding water filled with sperm and eggs from spawning sea stars, Wu faced several challenges. Stuck in a small, enclosed bay with only a macro lens for photographing small subjects, he backed up to squeeze the undulating sea star into his field of view. The dancing posture of spawning sea stars rising and swaying may help release eggs and sperm, or may help sweep the eggs and sperm into the currents where they fertilise together in the water. Kinko Bay, Japan. (Photo by Tony Wu/Wildlife Photographer of the Year)

Anti government protesters splash water on each other as they celebrate the traditional Songkran new year festival during a protest in Bangkok, Thailand, 13 April 2022. (Photo by Diego Azubel/EPA/EFE)

French First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, who is pregnant, welcomes the spouses of heads of state at at Le Ciro's Resaturant on the second day of the G8 Summit on May 27, 2011 in Deauville, France. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Sudan cheetah cub Assama inspects a camera bag in its enclosure at the Landau Zoo, in Landau, Germany, 03 September 2025. Assama, born in July as the only cub to a cheetah cat, was rejected by its mother, and is now being bottle-fed by its caretakers. (Photo by Ronald Wittek/EPA)