A squirrel digs into a pumpkin in Washington, U.S., November 28, 2022. (Photo by Amanda Andrade-Rhoades./Reuters)

Grand title winner: Environmental photographer of the year. The Bitter Death Of Birds by Mehdi Mohebi Pour. This photo shows the efforts of the environmental forces to collect the bodies and prevent the spread of this disease. The Miankaleh wetland is being destroyed by changes in the climate and it is my duty as a photographer to highlight these problems and create a record for history. I want to prevent the complete destruction of the wetland and the potential environmental disaster by showing the issues and threats to these beautiful natural places. (Photo by Mehdi Mohebi Pour/Environmental Photographer of the Year)

Panda keepers hold cubs while posing for photos ahead of the new year at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in Chengdu, China's southwestern Sichuan province on December 29, 2022. (Photo by AFP Photo/China Stringer Network)

A woman stands in front of a mask-clad lion statue outside a department store in Tokyo's Ginza district on January 18, 2022, as Japan reported a record high of new Covid-19 infections fuelled by the Omicron variant. (Photo by Philip Fong/AFP Photo)

A technician disinfects official balls before the Group F Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2021 football match between Mauritania and Gambia at Limbe Omnisport Stadium in Limbe on January 12, 2022. (Photo by Issouf Sanogo/AFP Photo)

A baby sloth uses his mother as a hammock while she feasts on papayas in Heredia province in Costa Rica in April 2023. (Photo by William Steele/Solent News)

Children play among foaming bubbles that form an artwork by Roger Hiorns entitled A Retrospective View of the Pathway, at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park near Wakefield, UK on August 16, 2023. (Photo by James Glossop/The Times)

Costumed attendees participate in the Dragon Con Parade, during the annual science fiction, pop culture and fantasy convention in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, 02 September 2023. Thousands of attendees, some costumed, crowd downtown Atlanta for the annual Labor Day Weekend gathering. (Photo by Erik S. Lesser/EPA/EFE)