Its been a tumultuous year full of highs and lows, but mainly a lot of gray area.

But 2021 posed a different set of challenges.

The vaccines gave new hope to our global community, re-energizing the world.

Best of 2021 - Fashion Photo by Kristina Makeeva

Photo: Kristina Makeeva (Website|Instagram|Facebook)

Across the world, we had paralleled obstacles to face and brilliant revelations of beauty all around us.

Lion Standing on a Hill of Bones

Photo: Simon Paul Needham (Website|Instagram)

Netherlands in Spring by Albert Dros

Photo: Albert Dros (Website|Instagram|Facebook|YouTube)

Sunset Over Wild Horse Beach in North Carolina

Photo: George Wang  (Instagram)

Aerial Shot of Landscapes in China

Photo: Florian Delalee (Website|Instagram)

Two Polar Bears Swimming in the Water by Martin Gregus

Photo: Martin Gregus (Website|Instagram)

RK Ryosuke Kosuge Photographer Travels Asia Photographing Beautiful Patterns in Everyday Life

Photo: RK (Website|Instagram|YouTube|Twitter)

Black Panther Photo

Photo: Will Burrard-Lucas (Website|Facebook|Instagram)

Cao Ky Nhan Fourth Place Landscape Winner Epson International Pano Awards

Photo: Cao Ky Nhan (Website|Instagram|Facebook)

Milky Way 2 Gigabyte Photo by Bartosz Wojczynski

Photo: Bartosz Wojczyński (Website|Instagram)

Meteor Over Mount Merapi in Indonesia

Photo: Gunarto Song (Instagram|1x)

Mihail Minkov “Reflection”

Photo: Mihail Minkov (Website|Instagram)

Hiroki Nose “Autumn Snake”

Photo: Hiroki Nose (Instagram)

Nicky Bay Bioluminescent Mushrooms of Singapore

Photo: Nicky Bay (Website|Instagram|Facebook|Twitter)

Quadruple Microburst

Photo: Mike Olbinski (Website|Instagram|Gallery)

Susan Kyne Andrews “Between Showers”

Photo: Susan Kyne Andrews: (Instagram|Twitter)

Pink Algae Photo by Paolo Pettigiani

Photo: Paolo Pettigiani (Website|Instagram|Behance)

Chasing Illusions Photo by Fares Micue

Photo: Fares Micue (Instagram|Saatchi)

Albert Dros Netherlands Spring

Photo: Albert Dros (Website|Facebook|Instagram|YouTube)

Flora Borsi Sharing an Eye with a Swan

Photo: Flora Borsi (Website|Instagram|Behance)

Bird Photo by Jocelyn Anderson

Photo: Jocelyn Anderson (Website|Facebook|Instagram)

Otter Carrying Its Baby

Photo: Chee Kee Teo (Facebook|Instagram)

Orca Sunset Photography

Photo: Mary Parkhill (Website|Facebook|Twitter)

Iceland Volcano Photography by Jan Erik Waider

Photo: Jan Erik Waider (Website|Facebook|Instagram)

Sun Photo by Andrew McCarthy

Photo: Andrew McCarthy (Website|Instagram)

Different Colors of the Moon

Photo: Marcella Giulia Pace (Website)

Green Turtle Photo by Aimee Jan

Photo: Aimee Jan (Website|Instagram)

Mads Nissen COVID Embrace World Press Photo of the Year

Photo: Mads Nissen (Website|Instagram)

Northern Lights Over Volcano Erupting in Iceland

Photo: Christopher Mathews (Instagram|Fine Art America)

Composite of Milky Way Over Easter Island Heads

Photo: Samir Belhamra (Website|Instagram|Facebook)

Lava Flowing from Iceland Volcano by Brian Emfinger

Photo: Brian Emfinger (Website|Facebook|Instagram|Twitter)

Boys of Volta by Jeremy Snell

Photo: Jeremy Snell (Website|Instagram|Boys of Voltafrom Setanta Books)

Light Painting Around Glastonbury Tor

Photo: Will Ferguson (Website|Instagram|TikTok)

ISS Transiting the Sun

Photo: Wang Letian (Website)

Portrait by an Erupting Volcano by Anna Isabella Christensen

Photo: Anna Isabella Christensen (Website|Facebook|Instagram)

Street Photography of Corner Store and Neon Lights

Photo: Omi Kim (Website|Instagram)

Liam Wong Tokyo After Dark Photography

Photo: Liam Wong (Website|Facebook|Twitter|Instagram)

“Around dead trees” by Gary Bhaztara

Photo: Gary Bhaztara (Instagram)

Best Photos of 2021 - “Greater Roadrunner” by Carolina Fraser

Photo: Carolina Fraser (Website|Instagram|Facebook)

Best Photos of 2021 - “Disinfection” by F.Dilek Uyar

Photo: F.Dilek Uyar (Website|Instagram|Facebook)

Best Photos of 2021 - Viral Whale Watching Photo by Eric J Smith

Photo: Eric Smith (Website|Instagram)

Benjamin Barakat

Photo: Benjamin Barakat (Website|Instagram)

Women Collecting Water from Dry River Bed

Photo: Sujon Adhikhary (Website|Instagram)

Insect Diversity

Photo: Pål Hermansen (Website|Instagram)

Bird Photo by Tom Leighton

Photo: Tom Leighton (Website|Instagram|Facebook)

Photo by James Kerwin

Photo: James Kerwin (Website|Instagram|Facebook)

Photo by Daniel Kordan

Photo: Daniel Kordan (Website|Instagram|Facebook)

Tornado Photo by Mitch Dobrowner

Photo: Mitch Dobrowner (Website|Instagram)

“Transylvanian Shepherds” by Istvan Kerekes

Photo: Istvan Kerekes (Website)