World Press Photo of the Year 2012
20 November 2012, Gaza City, Palestinian Territories.
Two-year-old Suhaib Hijazi and her three-year-old brother Muhammad were killed when their house was destroyed by an Israeli missile strike. Their father, Fouad, was also killed and their mother was put in intensive care. Fouad’s brothers carry his children to the mosque for the burial ceremony as his body is carried behind on a stretcher.Paul Hansen—Dagens Nyheter
Today, the winners of the prestigious 56th annual World Press Photo competition were announced in Amsterdam. Paul Hansen from Sweden received the prize for World Press Photo of the Year 2012.
A gallery of selected winners is above. You can see the list of all winners on the World Press Photo site here and their photos here.
World Press Photo of the Year 2012
20 November 2012, Gaza City, Palestinian Territories.
Two-year-old Suhaib Hijazi and her three-year-old brother Muhammad were killed when their house was destroyed by an Israeli missile strike. Their father, Fouad, was also killed and their mother was put in intensive care. Fouad’s brothers carry his children to the mosque for the burial ceremony as his body is carried behind on a stretcher.
Paul Hansen—Dagens Nyheter General News, 3rd Prize Singles
Dominic Nahr, Switzerland.
17 April 2012
Heglig, Sudan.
A Sudan Armed Forces soldier lies dead in a pool of oil next to a leaking oil facility. He was killed during heavy fighting with southern Sudanese SPLA troops, after they entered the northern Sudan oil town during a brief but bloody border war between the two countries.Dominic Nahr—Magnum for TIMEGeneral News, 1st Prize Stories
Alessio Romenzi, Italy.
14 February 2012
Al-Qusayr, Syria.
A child mourns her father, who was kidnapped, tortured and killed by shabiha (government militias) with other two men. Their bodies were abandoned in a main street.
The civilian unrest in the Syrian Arab Republic began in March 2011 and continues to affect people, particularly in the most vulnerable segments of the population. At least 60,000 people have been killed since uprising began, according to the United Nations (UN), and the number of Syrian refugees registered by the UN in the Middle East and North Africa has surpassed half a million. The situation continues to deteriorate in villages and cities in the country, leaving people without protection, shelter, food and water and facing fear every day.Alessio Romenzi for TIME2nd Prize Spot News Single
Emin Özmen, Turkey.
31 July 2012, Aleppo, Syria.
Opposition fighters regularly launched operations to seize government informants after dark. Two informants were captured, declared guilty under interrogation, and tortured throughout the night; tired soldiers had to be replaced so the torture could continue. After 48 hours, the captives were released.
Emin Özmen2nd Prize Spot News Stories
Fabio Bucciarelli, Italy.
10 October 2012, Aleppo, Syria. A Free Syrian Army fighter takes up a position during clashes against government forces in the Sulemain Halabi district.
Fabio Bucciarelli—Agence France-Presse1st Prize General News Single
Rodrigo Abd, Argentina.
10 March 2012, Idib, Syria. Aida cries while recovering from severe injuries she received when her house was shelled by the Syrian Army. Her husband and two children were fatally wounded during the shelling.
Rodrigo Abd—AP3rd Prize General News Stories
Daniel Berehulak, Australia.
7 March 2012, Rikuzentakata, Japan.
Pine trees uprooted during the tsunami lay strewn over the beach.
One year later, areas of Japan most impacted by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that left 15,848 dead and 3,305 missing, continue to struggle. Thousands of people remain living in temporary dwellings. The government faces an uphill battle with the need to dispose of rubble as it works to rebuild economies and livelihoods.
Daniel Berehulak—Getty Images1st Prize Sports – Sports Action Single
Wei Seng Chen, Malaysia.
12 February 2012, Batu Sangkar, West Sumatra, Indonesia.
A jockey, his feet stepped into a harness strapped to the bulls and clutching their tails, shows relief and joy at the end of a dangerous run across rice fields. The Pacu Jawi (bull race) is a popular competition at the end of harvest season keenly contested between villages.
Chen Wei Seng2nd Prize Sports – Sports Action Stories
Sergei Ilnitsky, Russia.
31 July 2012, London, United Kingdom.
Alaaeldin Abouelkassem of Egypt (top) in action against Peter Joppich of Germany during their Men's Foil Individual Round 16 match.
Years of training, thousands of battles, and hundreds of victories prepared fencing competitors for the opportunity to stand on the piste at the 2012 London Olympic Games to fight for gold.
Sergei Ilnitsky—European Pressphoto Agency1st Prize Sports – Sports Features Stories
Jan Grarup. Denmark.
21 February 2012, Mogadishu, Somalia.
The Somali basketball association pays armed guards to watch over and protect Suweys and her team when they play.
In Mogadishu, the war-torn capital of Somalia, young women risk their lives to play basketball. Suweys, the 19-year-old captain of a women's basketball team, and her friends defy radical Islamist views on women’s rights. They have received many death threats from not only al-Shabaab militias and radical Islamists, but some male members of their own families. "I just want to dunk," said Suweys. It is on the basketball court she feels happiest. "Basketball makes me forget all my problems.”
Jan Grarup1st Prize Contemporary Issues Single
Micah Albert, USA.
3 April 2012, Nairobi, Kenya.
Pausing in the rain, a woman working as a trash picker at the 30-acre dump, which literally spills into households of one million people living in nearby slums, wishes she had more time to look at the books she comes across. She even likes the industrial parts catalogs. “It gives me something else to do in the day besides picking [trash],” she said.
Micah Albert—Redux1st Prize Contemporary Issues Stories
Maika Elan, Vietnam.
22 June 2012, Da Nang, Vietnam.
Phan Thi Thuy Vy and Dang Thi Bich Bay, who have been together for one year, watch television to relax after studying at school.
Vietnam has historically been unwelcoming to same-sex relationships. But its Communist government is considering recognizing same-sex marriage, a move that would make it the first Asian country to do so, despite past human rights issues and a long-standing stigma. In August 2012, the country’s first public gay pride parade took place in Hanoi.
Maika Elan—MoST ArtistsSøren Bidstrup, Denmark, Berlingske
8 July 2012, Jeselo, Italy.
Summer holiday camping. Someone is up a little too early.
Søren Bidstrup—Berlingske1st Prize Daily Life Stories
Fausto Podavini, Italy.
1 June 2010, Rome, Italy.
Despite her husband's life-threatening disease, Mirella devoted her life to assisting Luigi, trying to be positive and reassuring, looking after him with intense love and respect. Everyday care, usually done in a few minutes, takes hours when it concerns someone with dementia.
Mirella, 71, spent 43 years of her life with the only person she loved, with all of life's difficulties, laughter, and beautiful moments. But over the last six years things changed: Mirella lived with her husband Luigi’s illness, Alzheimer’s, and devoted her life to him as his caregiver.
Fausto Podavini3rd Prize People – Observed Portraits Single
Ilona Szwarc, Poland.
19 February 2012, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
“American Girl” is a popular line of dolls that can be customized to look exactly like their owners. Kayla poses with her lookalike doll in front of a portrait of her ancestors.
lona Szwarc—Redux Pictures3rd Prize People – Observed Portraits Stories
Ananda van der Pluijm, The Netherlands.
15 February 2011, Tilburg, The Netherlands.
After living with his father for ten years and staying in a youth shelter, Martin, 18, returned home two years ago to live with his mother. He arrived with some clothes in a bag and no work or degree.
Ananda van der Pluijm2nd Prize Prize People – Staged Portraits Single
Stefen Chow, Malaysia.
6 February 2012, Beijing, China. Ai Weiwei.
Stefen Chow—for Smithsonian magazine1st Prize People – Staged Portraits Stories
Stephan Vanfleteren, Belgium.
17 October 2012, Conakry, Guinea.
Makone Soumaoro, 30, goiter. “I don't have pain, but I am worried that my neck swells that much. I hope it it is not a tumor because I am a housewife and my man and three children need me.”
Guinea is one of the least developed countries in the world. More than 60 percent of the population lives on less than one dollar per day. Three quarters of the population is illiterate. Health care is substandard and unaffordable for most people. Some get help with their health problems from NGO Mercy Ships aboard the hospital ship 'African Mercy' docked in the capital Conakry. They are treated by volunteer surgeons, doctors and nurses with such health issues as cataracts, teeth problems, and skin diseases to more complex orthopedic or tumor surgeries.
Stephan Vanfleteren—Panos for Mercy Ships / De Standaard1st Prize Nature Single
Christian Ziegler, Germany.
16 November 2012, Black Mountain Road, Australia.
The endangered Southern Cassowary feeds on the fruit of the Blue Quandang tree. Cassowaries are a keystone species in northern Australian rainforests because of their ability to carry so many big seeds such long distances.
Christian Ziegler—National Geographic1st Prize Nature Stories
Paul Nicklen. Canada.
18 November 2011, Ross Sea, Antarctica.
Even though they have evolved an incredibly advanced bubble physiology the greatest challenge they face is the loss of sea ice that supports their colonies and ecosystem.
New science shows that Emperor Penguins are capable of tripling their swimming speed by releasing millions of bubbles from their feathers. These bubbles reduce the friction between their feathers and the icy seawater, allowing them to accelerate in the water. They use speeds of up to 30 kilometers per hour to avoid leopard seals and to launch themselves up onto the ice.
Paul Nicklen— National Geographic
![1st Prize Contemporary Issues Single. Micah Albert, USA, Redux Images. 3 April 2012, Nairobi, Kenya. Pausing in the rain, a woman working as a trash picker at the 30-acre dump, which literally spills into households of one million people living in nearby slums, wishes she had more time to look at the books she comes across. She even likes the industrial parts catalogs. “It gives me something else to do in the day besides picking [trash],” she said.](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/09_micah-albert.jpg?quality=75&w=2400)
