Every year, the World Press Photo Foundation selects the strongest images taken by photojournalists around the world, from visceral shots of war scenes to you-can-almost-touch-the-ball images from sporting events.
Here are six winning entries from the People, Daily Life, Long Term Projects, Spot News, and General News categories. If you’re intrigued by the photographer’s work, click on their name and head to their WordPress site to explore more of their visual storytelling and technical mastery.
Matic Zorman, Slovenia, 2015, Waiting to Register
This chilling shot of a child at a refugee camp in Preševo, Serbia, won Slovenian photojournalist Matic Zorman first prize in the People category. His coverage of the refugee crisis in Europe follows his long-held interest in documenting abuses of human rights and humanitarian crises in Europe and the Middle East.
Matjaz Krivic, Slovenia, 2015, Digging the Future
Slovenian photographer Matjaz Krivic travels around the world to capture indigenous cultures and people on the margins of society, “from the Sahara to the Himalayas.” He took the photo above outside a mine in Bani, Burkina Faso, where Arzuma Tindano was taking a cigarette break before heading back into the pit. The photo won second prize in the People category.
Corentin Fohlen, France, 2015, March Against Terrorism in Paris
French photographer Corentin Fohlen has worked for news outlets like Le Monde and the New York Times, covering major events from Ukraine to Afghanistan. He took his winning entry — second prize in the Spot News category — close to home, though, recording the emotional reaction to the Charlie Hebdo and Hyper Cacher attacks in Paris in January 2015.
Mary F. Calvert, USA, 2015
Two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Mary F. Calvert is a socially engaged photojournalist, covering topics related to gender and social justice. Her images focusing on survivors of sexual assault in the US military — taken from her three–part series — won first prize in the Long Term Projects category.
Sebastián Liste, Spain, 2015, Noor
Reporting from a Rio de Janeiro favela, Spanish photographer Sebastian Liste tells the story of a group of citizen journalists who formed a media collective to document life in their neighborhood. This series, which won third prize in the Daily Life category, represents Sebastián’s ongoing interest in communities and their power dynamics, from prisons in Venezuela to street life in Istanbul.
Paul Hansen, Sweden, 2015, Dagens Nyheter, Under the Cover of Darkness
Stockholm-based photojournalist Paul Hansen covers local and global events with images, words, and video. The image above, which won second prize in the General News Category, depicts a group of refugees on the island of Lesbos, Greece, walking in the darkness to avoid being detected by local authorities.
Explore the full list of the 2016 World Press Photo Contest winners, or read more posts like these by visiting our Photography and Current Events topic pages.
Great images for sure!
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They all are fantastic
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Photos worth checking considering we are drowned in millions of photos each day!
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Stunning pics!
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Captivating photos!
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Love pics ✌
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Stunning pictures that tell a story even without words.
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