A woman wearing a traditional Hanbok dress visits the Gyeongbokgung Palace grounds in Seoul on October 23, 2023. A woldae terrace for public rituals and ceremonies in front of Gyeongbok Palace’s Gwanghwamun gate was restored and opened to the public earlier this month, after being removed in 1923, during the 1910-45 Japanese colonial period. (Photo by Anthony Wallace/AFP Photo)

Visitors take photos of Fu Bao, a giant panda, at Everland amusement park in Yongin, south of Seoul, South Korea, 25 February 2024. The panda will be displayed to the public until 03 March, before returning to China in early April. The female panda, which was born to giant panda Ai Bao and her partner, Le Bao, at the Everland amusement park in Yongin, south of Seoul, in 2020, will be returned to China under an international agreement. (Photo by Yonhap/EPA)

A protester throws a stone while clashing with Mozambican riot police in Maputo on November 27, 2024. Fresh anti-government protests erupted in Mozambique on November 27, 2024 after a police vehicle mowed down a woman at a demonstration in the capital for the opposition leader disputing October elections in a deadly weeks-long standoff AFP reporters at the scene said protestors hurled stones at security forces who fired bullets and tear gas as clashes broke out after the woman was struck while standing behind a large banner of opposition leader Venancio Mondlane. (Photo by Alfredo Zuniga/AFP Photo)

Second Place Winner: “Thunderstorm at False Kiva”. I hiked out to these ruins at night hoping to photograph them with the Milky Way, but instead a thunderstorm rolled through, creating this dramatic image. – Max Seigal. National Geographic Traveler Director of Photography Dan Westergren, one of this year's judges, shares his thoughts on the second place winner: “This photo combines two different scenes into one: the small kiva in a cliff dwelling and the grand vista of Canyonlands National Park across the valley. I really like the two different color palettes – warm inside and purple outside. This two-for-one scene was caused by the lightning storm outside the dwelling, which lit up the landscape like it was a huge electronic flash. Looking at this picture I can imagine what a wonderful sight it must have been for the ancient people who lived here. It doesn't seem too amazing now in our modern world, but might have been mind-blowing for the prehistoric residents”. Location: Utah. (Photo and caption by Max Seigal/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

The adventurous explorers have snapped themselves in shark-infested waters, at the side of an active volcano, atop a Hong Kong skyscraper surrounded by toxic smog, and even perched on the top of iconic Rio statue of Christ the Redeemer. Here: Ervin Punkar using a selfie stick to take a photo from the very top of the 600ft TV tower in Tartu, Estonia. (Photo by Ervin Punkar/Caters News Agency)

Members of South Korean K-Pop girl group Brave Girls pose on the red carpet at KCON Seoul 2022 in Seoul on May 7, 2022. (Photo by Anthony Wallace/AFP Photo)

American socialite and media personality Kylie Jenner in the second decade of May 2023 gets up close and personal with a selfie. (Photo by kyliejenner/Instagram)