Striking photographs of train drivers in a coal mine and a man with a pangolin on his head are among the winners of the Travel Photographer of the Year 2024 competition.
A 15-strong panel of judges sifted through more than 20,000 images submitted by photographers from more than 150 countries for the competition.
The overall winner was Kenya-based American photographer Piper Mackay for her portfolio featuring evocative images of a Rendille girl and Northern Kenyan tribal women in intricate traditional attire, and Maasai giraffes traversing the vast Mara plains.
Competition founder Chris Coe praised Mackay's photos for its "less is more approach", with "good camera craft" and "very little retouching".
The photographs – taken with a camera converted to infrared – captured details and atmosphere that was "both eye-catching and highly engaging".
"I was left speechless. After more than 20 years of photographing across the African continent and focusing on infrared photography for the past decade, this honour means a great deal to me, especially because it represents both my wildlife and tribal images," Mackay said on her website.
The overall winner of the Young Travel Photographer of the Year 2024 was 14-year-old Raymond Zhang from China for his portraits of steam train workers in Sandaoling Coal Mine in Hami city, Xinjiang province.
"Raymond has created an impressive collection of images that vividly showcase the hard work and camaraderie involved in running a steam train," the judges panel said.
"Each image tells a unique story, from the sweat and focus of the engineers to the warm, inviting glow of the locomotive’s interior. They convey a sense of timeless dedication and the bond shared by those who work tirelessly behind the scenes."
The winner of the Young Travel Photographer of the Year 2024 for those aged 14 and below went to 12-year-old Leonardo Murray from Australia for his breathtaking landscapes of the Namib Desert.
"For someone so young to see and capture the near abstract shapes and rhythms in this set shows a sense of image perception that is remarkable," the judges said. "At 12 years old, these show a good creative eye and use of light balancing the natural light and in-camera technique."
The winner of the Young Travel Photographer of the Year for those aged 15 to 18 was Maksymilian Paczkowski from Poland for his vivid photographs of birds.
"It’s great to see Maksymillian’s work, and he has a bright future. This type of bird images aren’t easy to do," the judges said.
US-based Mexican photographer Maricruz Sainz de Aja was the winner of the "Faces, People, Cultures" category for her subdued images of the Wauga tribe in Papua New Guinea.
"Papua New Guinea is much visited and photographed but usually the pictures are full of colour. These are subtle and delicate, but powerful," the judges wrote.
The "Wildlife, Nature & Underwater" category was won by already award-winning photographer Jenny Stock from the UK for her images of crocodiles in Cuba.
The "Planet Earth – Landscapes, Climate & Water" category winner was Roie Galitz from Israel for his images of "an environment which is facing some of the biggest threats to its future existence".
The Travel in Monochrome winner was named as Aleš Krivec from Slovenia for his "atmospheric, moody shots" of the Seiser Alm in the Dolomites mountain range, Italy.
In addition, the "People’s Choice" was Indonesia-based Mauro de Bettio. The Italian received 19,895 votes for his photo of a man with a pangolin rescued from the illegal wildlife trade balancing on his head in Lagos, Nigeria.
All the winning images can be viewed on the Travel Photographer of the Year website.
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