Pangolins in Crisis: Brent Stirton, South Africa; 1st place, Natural world and wildlife. “Pangolins are the world’s most illegally trafficked mammals, with an estimated one million trafficked to Asia in the last 10 years. Their scales are used in traditional Chinese and Vietnamese medicine, and their meat is sold as a high-priced delicacy. As a result, pangolins are listed as critically endangered and anyone who trades or consumes them is breaking the law. This body of work exposes the trade, while exploring aspects of illegality and celebrating the people who are trying to save these animals”. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Sony World Photography Awards 2020)

A staff member, wearing a face mask following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, looks at a robot at the venue for the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai, China on July 9, 2020. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)

Rice seedling festival is a traditional folk festival in longji, guangxi, China on June 9, 2019, during grain in ear season. (Photo by Costfoto/Barcroft Media)

A dog named Luna high-fives a person in the Angelino Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, U.S., August 26, 2022. (Photo by Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)

A woman walks by a bank's currency advertisement board in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, September 23, 2022. Asian stocks fell for a third day Friday after more rate hikes by the Federal Reserve and other central banks to control persistent inflation spurred fears of a possible global recession. (Photo by Ahn Young-joon/AP Photo)

A penguin (Manchots Royaux) walks on the basement area, early morning on December 25, 2022, at the Kerguelen Islands, also known as the Desolation Islands, are a group of islands in the sub-Antarctic. (Photo by Patrick Hertzog/AFP Photo)

French-British actress and singer Charlotte Gainsbourg arrives to attend a state dinner in honor of Britain's King Charles and Queen Camilla at the Chateau de Versailles (Versailles Palace) in Versailles, near Paris, on the first day of their State visit to France on September 20, 2023. (Photo by Benoit Tessier/Reuters)

Members of Barcelona's Latin community perform traditional dances in the city center on the occasion of the national day of Spain on October 12, 2023. (Photo by Jordi Boixareu/Alamy Live News)