First place: The aftermath of an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on October 9, 2023, leaving widespread destruction in the Rimal area.
Attribution: WAFA
Second place: Baby cape fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus) sleeping at Cape cross, Namibia.
Attribution: Giles Laurent
Third place: A gigantic jet [a kind of upper-atmospheric lightning] photographed from the International Space Station by astronaut Nichole Ayers.
That looks a lot like blood on that couch cushion. Gives some context as to how high the cost to this rubble.