**Image by Ali Jadallah. All images used with permission.**

Today, World Press Photo announced the winners of the 2025 World Press Photo contest. As always, the standard of the selection was extremely high, with photographers sharing emotive and challenging stories through the medium of photography. 160 images were available to the press, and in this article I’m sharing 17 stand out frames from this year's competition.

About 2025 World Press Photo Awards

The photojournalism on display in this year's contest highlights the genre is in a healthy place. From technical image making to gripping storytelling, each frame demands your attention and educates you on events going on all around the world.

It would have been easy to include all the photographs, from all of the photographers. There were fine margins when conducting my selection, and no doubt you’ll see different selections elsewhere, all of which are as equally valid.

But, we all connect to different images, and stories resonate with us in different ways. This selection of photographs from the 2025 World Press Photo contest is based on photographs that gave me the strongest emotional response, that held my gaze for a little longer than the others and that, for me, show the powerful position photojournalism is currently in.

As has been standard practice for some time now, the winners represent different regions around the world. I’ve selected at least one photographer from each region - it was challenging not to select them all.

The regions represented are:

Africa
Asia-Pacific and Oceania
Europe
North and Central America
South America
West, Central, and South Asia

When covering photojournalism, I’m always careful about the words I use. It would be crass to refer to them as amazing, or awesome. In reality, some of the images in this article are difficult to view and I would keep that in mind before you continue your reading.

17 Powerful Images

I’ll now share, what in my opinion, are the most striking images from this year's winners. I’ll offer my reasoning for selecting them and tell you which camera they used to make their work.

Africa

“Kenyan police officers and security personnel protect the Kenyan Parliament against protestors attempting to storm the building. Reports that police fired live ammunition at demonstrators led to condemnation by human rights groups and other countries calling for investigations and police reform. Nairobi, Kenya, 25 June 2024”.

My take:

What’s striking about this photo is the sheer diversity within the frame. Towards the background, a soldier dressed in camouflage, in the center, two people in full balaclavas, and in the foreground a man, dressed in his office attire. People from different walks of life, all coming together for one shared goal - to protect.

Camera used: Canon EOS R5

“Elephant Response Team members observe an elephant feeding near a military base. Livingstone, Zambia, 29 August 2024”.

My take:

Without knowing the backstory, the mind can go down several paths when looking at this image. Is the elephant in distress? Are the people in the foreground there to help or harm? Is the elephant the one who poses danger to humans? It’s a strong image that makes you ask questions and become eager to find truth - the hallmark of good photojournalism.

Camera used: Fujifilm X-T2

“Marhawit (21, center) leads a group of female soldiers in a cheer. Many are minors who joined the Tigrayan army for safety. Leaders like Marhawit provide emotional support and a sense of unity and purpose. Neblet, Tigray, Ethiopia, 7 April 2024”.

My take:

The juxtaposition in this frame is what gets me. The longstanding, worn rocks dominate the frame, with the young women - together as one - offering their youthful energy. Moreover, this is an image where nature and nurture show off their resilience to keep standing, to keep going and to remain strong.

Camera used: Canon EOS R6 Mark II

Asia-Pacific and Oceania

“A young long-tailed macaque lies sedated as veterinarians from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation carry out a sterilization procedure, in Lopburi, Thailand, 25 May 2024”.

My take:

This image is both cold and warm. Cold, because it’s sad to see any animal go under the knife. Warm, because there’s a tenderness to this shot. This series focused on the broken relationship between humans and monkeys, and this frame gives me a glimmer of hope that we can find a way to successfully restore that beautiful relationship we have.

Camera used: N/A

“Members of the Special Operations Force (SOF), a PDF unit, dig graves for four resistance fighters who died in an attack on a government military camp. Taung Soon, Kayin State, Myanmar, 26 April 2024”.

My take:

The image is truly chilling. Digging the graves in almost complete darkness, a darkness that represents the end of life. Accompanied by that pocket of light in the background, representing, hopefully, a more peaceful existence in the after life, whatever that may be.

Camera used: Nikon Z6 II

Europe

“AfD co-leader Alice Weidel has embraced the controversial term “remigration”, which calls for large-scale deportations of immigrants. Essen, Germany, 30 June 2024”.

My take:

How often do we look those we oppose straight in the eyes? We don’t. Instead we tend to avoid them, block them out or pretend they’re not there. This piercing image doesn’t give you that option. Instead, you’re forced to look at them square on, you can see them, perhaps feel them, even if you still can’t understand them.

Camera used: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

North and Central America

“Members of the United States Secret Service help Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump off stage moments after a bullet from an attempted assassin hit his ear during a campaign rally. Butler, Pennsylvania, United States, 13 July 2024”.

My take:

A photo can paint several narratives. The widely circled image of the Trump assassination attempt portrays power, strength and resilience. This one, however, is likely more closer to reality, highlighting the chaos, the shock and the desperation to seek safety. Maybe this photo won’t be as memorable, but it tells the truth.

Camera used: Sony α9 III

“A death doula, an end-of-life companion, prepares for a guest’s death with flowers. The service is free of charge because the experience is grounded in community care, not profit. 1 March 2024”.

My take:

Like the flowers in this frame, I’ve always found something beautiful about death, even when we’re taught to fear it. The image also highlights the idea of not being alone when we pass, of being supported and guided into the next chapter. There’s, of course, sadness in this frame but it’s a sadness that can also be beautiful.

Camera used: N/A

South America

“Botafogo fans celebrate their team’s victory. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 30 November 2024”.

My take:

If there was ever a frame that showed football is more than “just a game”, this is it. Seldom do you see such animalistic unity, love, and joy in other areas of life. The sport isn’t perfect, but football helps people forget their differences and their troubles and encourages them to focus on one shared objective - that’s powerful.

Camera used: Canon EOS-1D X Mark III

“A stranded Boeing 727-200 surrounded by floodwaters at Salgado Filho International Airport. Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, 20 May 2024”.

My take:

I’ve viewed this image countless times, and without context, I still can’t figure out what I’m seeing. It’s a mind bending image, a frame you don’t often see in the vast array of photographic content. When context arrives, and you see this incredible frame is a consequence of deadly floods, reality begins to set in, the “wow factor” leaves and the painful awareness of the things we need to fix begins to take over.

Camera used: Canon EOS R6 MkII

“Flooded streets in Canoas, one of the cities most affected in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. 6 May 2024”.

My take:

As fortunate as we are to live in this miracle of life, this image displays how insignificant we could quickly become if the earth’s natural elements decide to take over. The floods, as picturesque as they may seem, makes us aware things could be gone in an instant, and in some circumstances, there’s little we can do about it.

Camera used: N/A

“Aerial view of the Tarumã River, which has become unnavigable due to drought. The landscape is marked by lines left by boat propellers before the river became impassable. Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, 4 October 2024”.

My take:

Our ecosystem needs water. Try to go a day without it and you’ll see how much your inner mechanism begins to fall apart. This frame is a grand example of our dependency on natural fluids and how climate change is becoming a barrier for us accessing it. If we don’t act, this whole ecosystem can dry out and fall apart.

Camera used: DJI

“María Camila, Luisa, and Noraisi Birry stand by the grave of their sister Yadira, while wearing the paruma shawls Yadira left behind. Yadira Birry (16) took her own life with a paruma on 7 April 2023. Chocó, Colombia, 20 June 2024”.

My take:

The vibrancy in this image is the first thing I notice. The wonderfully woven detail in the sheets that cover the three subjects. There’s a sense of ritual in this shot, a way of highlighting humans' search for meaning and habit. It, however, also shows the heartbreaking reality of indigenous people - kept out of modern society to find their own way in the wilderness.

Camera used: Fujifilm X-Pro 3

West, Central, and South Asia

“Photographer Samar Abu Elouf was herself evacuated from Gaza in December 2023. She now lives in the same apartment complex as Mahmoud in Doha, where she has documented the few badly wounded Gazans who, like Mahmoud, have made it out for treatment. Doha, Qatar, 28 June 2024”.

My take:

This image is uncomfortable. But our unease is nothing compared to what young children are facing in Gaza, as everyday they fear for their health and their life. This young Gazan child is now forced to live life in a different way to what he should. He’s forced to adapt, forced to make peace with his circumstance - if only governments could somehow learn to do the same.

Camera used: Canon EOS R5

“People watch as smoke and flames rise over a building, following Israeli attacks on Deir al-Balah. Israel bombarded the central Gazan city multiple times throughout the year. Gaza, 6 June 2024”.

My take:

There are things I hope I never have to see in real life, this scene being one of them. However, conveniently I get to view this image as some type of Hollywood movie, when the reality for the humans in this frame is that their homes - their lives - are being destroyed. Sit with this image, look beyond its shock factor and try to think for a moment what it must be like, heartbreaking isn't it?

Camera used: Canon EOS-1D X Mark III

“A corridor of the infamous Sednaya prison, which at some point held up to 20,000 inmates, and where military defectors and dissidents were subject to brutal beatings, electric shocks, and starvation. Damascus, Syria, 14 December 2024”.

My take:

A truly sobering shot, one that puts a magnifying glass over the sheer isolation one experiences when their freedoms are taken away. When all life is gone all that’s left are the memories of pain and torture, a time when humans lost their humanity and let power take over.

Camera used: Panasonic Lumix S5

“A kolbar follows an arduous mountain path. Kolbars’ packs can weigh around 50 kg, and crossings take an average of eight to 12 hours. Kurdistan, Iran, 1 June 2019”.

My take:

Life is hard for many in the middle east, no doubt this frame highlights that. But, in a slightly more positive spin, it shows how strong and unbreakable we can be. No matter how hard life is, we can keep going, way beyond the limits we believe we have.

Camera used: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

About The Winners of World Press Photo

World Press Photo selected 42 winners for its 2025 contest, up from 33 in the previous year. The winners were selected from 3,778 photographers from across 141 countries. In press release sent to Them Frames, Global jury chair, Lucy Conticello, Director of Photography for M, Le Monde's weekend magazine, said:

“We made our choices with an eye on the final mix. As much as the World Press Photo Contest award is an immense recognition for photographers, often working under difficult circumstances, it is also a recap of the world's major events, however incomplete. As a jury we were looking for pictures that people can start conversations around”.

On April 17th, World Press Photo will announce the overall winning photographer of the year, plus two other finalists. The overall winner will receive €10,000 (around $10,743 USD) and the two finalists will both receive the brand new Fujifilm GFX100RF and a Fujinon GF lens.

As part of a traveling exhibition, all of the winners will have their work hung in different galleries around the world. Key dates and venues include: