Slam on the Brakes. Winner, Motion. "Barrel racing is a competition where cowgirls ride quickly around barrels; the one that does this in the shortest time wins. Every time a horse reaches a barrel it needs to brake sharply, turn around the barrel and then race to the next one." Ontario, Canada, August 2022. #

She Is Bagheera. Shortlist, Motion. "The first obstacle of the course is the one I prefer most of all, because this is where it all begins. It is where the bond between human and dog is expressed in such a clear way, by such a magnetic look; where you can see the power of the dog’s muscles contracting and releasing energy at the handler’s every nod. Taken during a dog agility competition in Italy." #

Sunken Church Tower. Shortlist, Travel. "In 1950 the Italian village of Curon was flooded to create the artificial basin of Lake Resia, to power a hydroelectric dam. Today, the only visible remnant of the village is the 14th-century church tower jutting from the water." #

Childhood. Winner, Lifestyle. "Children weave in and out of scores of giant cones, or topas, as they roll a wagon around a rice processing plant. The cart is used by workers to carry rice and put it down for drying, but after they have finished with it, the children use it as a toy to play with. More than 30 children turned this rice mill in Bahmanbaria, Bangladesh, into an obstacle course." #

Kingdom of the Parakeet. Shortlist, Natural World & Wildlife. "The photograph was taken in the Gumai Bill area of Rangunia, Chittagong. The crops produced here can provide three days of food for the people of Bangladesh. When the paddy is ripe, thousands of parrots come down from the hills. Parrots usually prefer undisturbed areas, which is why this area could be called a ‘parrot sanctuary’." #

Monte Rosa Hut—Blue Hour. Shortlist, Architecture. "I took this photograph as part of my Modern Alpine Architecture series. After crossing a glacier and hiking for many hours we arrived at the mountain hut and stayed there for the night. Early in the morning, before sunrise, I started my drone to capture the first light of the new day falling on this beautiful piece of architecture." #

Stoat's game. Shortlist, Natural World & Wildlife. "Scientists have often witnessed stoats engaging in displays like this, but opinions are divided about what motivates the leaps and twists. Sometimes, the dances are performed in front of a rabbit or large bird in an apparent attempt to confuse or distract potential prey, but on other occasions—as here—there is no prey animal in sight. A third hypothesis is that it is an involuntary response to a parasitic infection." #

Nomad Watcher. Shortlist, Portraiture. "The young nomad looks after his pet camel. The camel is to the Rajasthani nomad what the yak is to a Tibetan—it is a support system, a source of sustenance, and a principal mode of transport." #

The Festival Sacrifice. Shortlist, Travel. "I took this photograph in the Chinese province of Guizhou in December 2022. It shows the natural cultural heritage of the Miao people." #

Lunar Eruption. Shortlist, Landscape. "Although this looks like a volcano, it is not—it is a mountain that has a classic volcano shape when seen from this direction. I had a hard time planning this photograph, as I wanted to make it look like the moon is rising from inside the ‘volcano’. Because I also wanted to achieve this in a single shot, I had to calculate the correct distance and angle that I needed to take my photograph from. In the end, I took this photograph from 10 kilometers away." #

Born in a Warm Bath of Love. Shortlist, Lifestyle. "This little boy was born so calmly in a birthing pool in this hospital. It was a very emotional experience; I love Dad’s reaction and the hands of the midwife just waiting patiently and giving support." #

Tattoo. Shortlist, Lifestyle. "This was a very interesting scene between two artists, which I photographed at a tattoo fair in Austria in spring 2022. The halo behind the tattooist makes the scene more attractive." #

Steeplechase Fall. Shortlist, Motion. "At the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase heats witnessed a dramatic fall from Germany’s Lea Meyer. As she ran up to the water obstacle, Lea clipped the hurdle, flew through the air and disappeared into the water, reemerging totally soaked." #

Earth Pyramids. Shortlist, Landscape. "Taken in Percha, Italy. These earth pyramids were formed millions of years ago in the Dolomite mountains. On this particular morning they were in low clouds, which adds to the atmosphere." #