Photo of Refugee Family Wins World Press Photo of the Year

5 minute read

It was 3:oo in the morning on Aug. 28, 2015, when Warren Richardson photographed a refugee handing his baby to another man as they crossed the barbed-wired border between Serbia and Hungary. The Australian photographer, who is based in Budapest, had been camping with a group of 200 refugees along the border. “We played cat and mouse with the police the whole night,” says the photographer, who couldn’t use a flash as it would have given away their location. “[The refugees] moved under the trees along the fence line. They sent women and children, then fathers and elderly men.”

That black-and-white photograph — one that captures the desperate nature of the massive exodus of war refugees from Syria and its neighbors — has now been selected from among 82,951 images as the World Press Photo of the Year, photojournalism’s most significant award.

“I did a Magnum course with Ian Berry,” Richardson tells TIME, “and he told me: ‘All it takes is one picture and that’s it.’ And now I understand it.”

For the 47-year-old photographer, winning World Press Photo’s top prize is an overwhelming experience. “I never thought it would happen, not in a million years,” he says. It’s also an opportunity for the self-assigned photographer to continue his work across Europe from Belgium to Sweden where refugees and migrants seek better lives away from the conflicts that have ravaged their homelands. “I also hope to find the guy from my photo,” he says. “I’d love to get his perspective on this.”

For the judges, Richardson’s photograph was a natural choice. “Early on, we looked at this photo and we knew it was an important one,” Francis Kohn, photo director of Agence France-Presse and chair of this year’s general jury, said in a statement. “It had such power because of its simplicity, especially the symbolism of the barbed wire. We thought it had almost everything in there to give a strong visual of what’s happening with the refugees.”

“It’s a haunting image,” says Huang Wen, director of new media development at Xinhua News Agency and a member of this year’s jury. “You see the anxiousness and the tension in such a mood, which is pretty different from those in-your-face images. It’s subtle, and shows the emotion and the real feeling from the deep heart of a father just trying to hand over his baby to the world he was longing to be in. This is really something.”

Here Are the Best News Photos of the Year

General News, 1st prize stories. Refugees arrive by boat near the village of Skala on Lesbos, Greece, Nov. 16, 2015.Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times
General News, 1st prize stories. Refugees attempt to board a train headed to Zagreb, Croatia in Tovarnik, Hungary, Sept. 18, 2015.Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times
General News, 1st prize stories. A Slovenian police officer escorts migrants that have crossed from Croatia. Dobova, Slovenia, Oct. 20, 2015.Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times
General News, 1st prize stories. Migrants are escorted by Slovenian riot police to a registration camp outside Dobova, Slovenia, Oct. 23, 2015.Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times
General News, 2nd prize stories. A wounded Syrian girl at a makeshift hospital in Douma, Syria, Aug. 22, 2015.Abd Doumany, Agence France-Presse
General News, 2nd prize stories. Child victims of air raids by Syrian government forces in the rebel-held city of Douma, Syria. In this photograph, a Syrian man carries the body of a child, killed in an airstrike by government forces in Douma, Syria, Nov. 7, 2015.Abd Doumany, Agence France-Presse
General News, 2nd prize stories. A wounded Syrian girl cries at a makeshift hospital in the rebel-held area of Douma, Syria, Aug. 12, 2015.Abd Doumany, Agence France-Presse
General News, 2nd prize stories. A wounded Syrian girl holds on to a relative as she awaits treatment by doctors at a makeshift hospital in Douma, Syria, May 11, 2015.Abd Doumany, Agence France-Presse
General News, 3rd prize stories. A woman cries as the body of her daughter is recovered from the rubble of her destroyed home. Gumda, Nepal, May 8, 2015.Daniel Berehulak for The New York Times
General News, 3rd prize stories. Residents forage through their destroyed homes, gathering salvageable belongings. Bhaktapur, Nepal, April 29, 2015.Daniel Berehulak for The New York Times
General News, 3rd prize stories. The aftermath of the April 25, 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Nepal.In this photograph, Nepalese villages watch a helicopter picking up a medical team, dropping aid at the edge of a makeshift landing zone in Gumda, Nepal, May 9, 2015.Daniel Berehulak for The New York Times
General News, 3rd prize stories. Flames rise from burning funeral pyres during the cremation of earthquake victims at the Pashupatinath Temple on the banks of Bagmati River, Kathmandu, Nepal, April 28, 2015.Daniel Berehulak for The New York Times
General News, 1st prize singles. A doctor rubs ointment on the burns of a 16-year-old Islamic State fighter named Jacob in front of a poster of Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, at a Y.P.G. hospital compound on the outskirts of Hasaka, Syria on Aug. 1, 2015.
General News, 1st prize singles. A doctor rubs ointment on the burns of a 16-year-old Islamic State fighter named Jacob in front of a poster of Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, at a Y.P.G. hospital compound on the outskirts of Hasaka, Syria on Aug. 1, 2015.Mauricio Lima for The New York Times
General News, 2nd prize singles. Refugees travel in darkness through Europe to avoid detection; Lesbos, Greece, Dec. 6, 2015.
General News, 2nd prize singles. Refugees travel in darkness through Europe to avoid detection; Lesbos, Greece, Dec. 6, 2015.Paul Hansen for Dagens Nyheter
General News, 3rd prize singles. Aerial view of the destruction after the explosion in Tianjin, China, Aug. 15 2015.Chen Jie
Spot News, 1st prize singles and World Press Photo of the Year. A man passes a baby through the fence at the Hungarian-Serbian border in Röszke, Hungary, Aug. 28, 2015.Warren Richardson
Spot News, 2nd prize singles. Demonstration against terrorism in Paris, after a series of five attacks occurred across the Île-de-France region, beginning at the headquarters for satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo. Paris, France, Jan. 11, 2015.Corentin Fohlen
Spot News, 3rd prize singles. The body of a victim killed in gang-related violence. This is the fourth gang- related killing on the same street in one night. Police have no witnesses. San Pedro Sula, March 4, 2015.Niclas Hammarström
Spot News, 1st prize stories. Douma, a rebel-held city in a suburb of the capital Damascus, lies in the opposition bastion area of Eastern Ghouta and has been subject to massive regime aerial bombardment. The area has also been under a crippling government siege for nearly two years as part of a regime attempt to break the rebel’s hold in the region. Douma and small rural towns in the Eastern Ghouta area were recorded as suffering from the highest number of fatalities since the start of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad in March 2011, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights. Government planes regularly bomb Douma and other small towns in Ghouta, which is an agricultural belt around the capital, leaving a constant trail of destruction and loss of lives. At the end of September 2015, Russia launched air strikes in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The thunderous shelling in and around and the city has forced civilians from the town to join the growing number of more than four million Syrians fleeing the country since the Syrian conflict erupted in 2011.In this photograph, smoke rises from a building following reported shelling by Syrian government forces in Douma, Syria, 30 October 2015.Sameer Al-Doumy, Agence France-Press
Spot News, 1st prize stories. A boy is evacuated from rubble following reported airstrikes in the city of Douma, Syria, June 16, 2015.Sameer Al-Doumy, Agence France-Press
Spot News, 1st prize stories. A wounded man walks out of a dust cloud following reported airstrikes in the town of Hamouria, Syria, Dec. 9, 2015.Sameer Al-Doumy, Agence France-Press
Spot News, 1st prize stories. Destructed city of Douma, Syria, Dec. 13, 2015.Sameer Al-Doumy, Agence France-Press
Spot News, 2nd prize stories. A wall of rock, snow and debris slammed on Everest Base Camp in Nepal on April 25, 2015, killing at least 22 people and injuring many more. The avalanche was triggered by a powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake that killed more than 8,000 people elsewhere in the country.Rescue helicopters managed to reach the site about 18 hours after the avalanche as bad weather, strong aftershocks and fears of further avalanches rattled survivors. At the time of the disaster, the 5,364-meter-high Base Camp was teeming with hundreds of climbers and supporting teams who use the camp to prepare their ascent to the peak of Mount Everest, the tallest mountain on Earth. Roberto Schmidt, Agence France-Press
Spot News, 2nd prize stories. Trekking guide Pasang Sherpa searches for survivors among flattered tents moments after a wall of rock, snow and debris slammed on Everest Base camp. Nepal, April 25, 2015.Roberto Schmidt, Agence France-Press
Spot News, 2nd prize stories. Rescuers carry an injured person to a medical tent after the avalanche hit the Everest Base Camp. Nepal, April 25, 2015.Roberto Schmidt, Agence France-Press
Spot News, 2nd prize stories. A man suffering from severe head trauma is bundled in a sleeping bag used as a makeshift stretcher while being taken by rescuers to a medical tent moments after the avalanche in Nepal, April 25, 2015.Roberto Schmidt, Agence France-Press
Spot News, 3rd prize stories. Syrians fleeing the war rush through broken down border fences to enter Turkish territory illegally, near the Turkish border crossing at Akcakale in Sanliurfa province. Turkey said it was taking measures to limit the flow of Syrian refugees onto its territory after an influx of thousands more over the last days due to fighting between Kurds and jihadists. Under an "open-door" policy, Turkey has taken in 1.8 million Syrian refugees since the conflict in Syria erupted in 2011.A refugee man holds a young girl as others climb over broken-down border fences to enter Turkish territory; Sanliurfa, Turkey, June 14, 2015.Bulent Kilic, Agence France-Presse
Spot News, 3rd prize stories. A refugee man holds a crying girl as others rush through broken down border fences to enter Turkish territory; Sanliurfa, Turkey, June 14, 2015.Bulent Kilic, Agence France-Presse
Spot News, 3rd prize stories. Refugees wait to enter Turkey near the Turkish border crossing at Akçakale, Turkey, June 15, 2015.Bulent Kilic, Agence France-Presse
Spot News, 3rd prize stories. Islamic State members ask people to go back to city centre at the Turkish Akçakale crossing gate in Sanliurfa province, Turkey, June 13, 2015.Bulent Kilic, Agence France-Presse
Contemporary Issues, 1st prize singles. A city in northern China shrouded in haze, Tianjin, China, Dec. 10, 2015.Zhang Lei for Tianjin Daily
Contemporary Issues, 2nd prize singles. Adam Abdel, 7, was severely burned after a bomb was dropped by a Sudanese government Antonov plane next to his family home in Burgu, Central Darfur, Sudan. Feb. 27, 2015.Adriane Ohanesian
Contemporary Issues, 3rd prize singles. Lamon Reccord stares down a police sergeant during a protest following the fatal shooting of Laquan McDonald by police in Chicago, Illinois, USA, Nov. 25, 2015.John J. Kim for Chicago Tribune
Contemporary Issues, 1st prize stories. Runaway talibes stand on the bank of Senegal river, Saint Louis, Senegal, May 20, 2015.Mário Cruz
Contemporary Issues, 1st prize stories. Talibes sleep next to each other inside a daara on the concrete floor without any protection. Saint Louis, Senegal, May 21, 2015.Mário Cruz
Contemporary Issues, 1st prize stories. Series portraying the plight of Talibes, boys who live at Islamic schools known as Daaras in Senegal. Under the pretext of receiving a Quranic education, they are forced to beg in the streets while their religious guardians, or Marabout, collect their daily earnings. They often live in squalor and are abused and beaten.In this photograph, Abdoulaye, 15, is a talibe imprisoned in a room with security bars to keep him from running away. Thies, Senegal, May 18, 2015.Mário Cruz
Contemporary Issues, 1st prize stories. Former talibes cool off at SOS Talibe Centre in Bafata, Guinea-Bissau, where they are now taken care of by a charity. June 8, 2015.Mário Cruz
Contemporary Issues, 2nd prize stories. Migrants rescued off the Libyan coast gather on the deck of the Doctors Without Borders rescue ship and attend a service; Strait of Sicily, Mediterranean Sea, Sept. 3, 2015.Francesco Zizola, Noor
Contemporary Issues, 2nd prize stories. Migrants climb on board of a rescue ship by Doctors without Borders to escape their sinking rubber dinghy. Strait of Sicily, Mediterranean Sea, Aug. 21, 2015.Francesco Zizola, Noor
Contemporary Issues, 2nd prize stories. Migrants wrapped in emergency blankets two days after being rescued catch sight of the Italian coast for the first time; Strait of Sicily, Mediterranean Sea, Aug. 23, 2015.Francesco Zizola, Noor
Contemporary Issues, 2nd prize stories. Libyan migrants being rescued by the international medical relief organization Doctors Without Borders in the Mediterranean Sea.In this photograph, an overcrowded rubber dinghy sails from Libya to Italy, Strait of Sicily, Mediterranean Sea, Aug. 26, 2015.Francesco Zizola, Noor
Contemporary Issues, 3rd prize stories. Although they hadn't planned it, Emily and Kate got pregnant within weeks of each other through artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization, respectively. Their sons were born within four days of each other, and the couple embraced the challenge of raising the two babies at once.Kate often kept Emily company while she took baths. Late in the pregnancy, particularly once Emily was overdue, she said that baths were one of the easiest ways to relax her body. Kate, who became pregnant three weeks later than Emily, showed less, and the two would often compare their baby bumps and talk to each other’s bellies. Maplewood, New Jersey, USA, Nov. 29, 2015.Sara Naomi Lewkowicz
Contemporary Issues, 3rd prize stories. Emily watches as the nurses work to get Eddie to wake up and cry. The baby didn't cry immediately after being born, as his umbilical cord was tight and he was born "in distress”. "It was one of the scariest moments of my life," Emily said later. New York, New York, USA, Dec. 13, 2015.Sara Naomi Lewkowicz
Contemporary Issues, 3rd prize stories. Emily holds the new-born baby to meet his new little brother. Reid and Eddie were born only four days apart, despite being due three weeks apart. Both babies had the same donor, making them biological half-brothers. “Oh my God,” Kate said, “we’re...like...a family, suddenly!” New York, New York, USA, Dec. 13, 2015.Sara Naomi Lewkowicz
Contemporary Issues, 3rd prize stories. Emily rubs sleep out of her eyes while feeding Reid, as Kate holds Eddie during a late-night feeding. Maplewood, New Jersey, USA, Dec. 30, 2015.Sara Naomi Lewkowicz
Daily Life, 1st prize singles. Chinese men pull a tricycle in a neighborhood next to a coal-fired power plant in Shanxi, China, on Nov. 26, 2015.A history of heavy dependence on burning coal for energy has made China the source of nearly a third of the world's total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, the toxic pollutants widely cited by scientists and environmentalists as the primary cause of global warming.Kevin Frayer, Getty Images
Daily Life, 2nd prize singles. Indigenous Munduruku children play in the Tapajos river in the tribal area of Sawre Muybu, Itaituba, Brazil on Feb. 10, 2015.The tribesmen of the Munduruku, who for centuries have sanctified the Tapajos River on which their villages sit, are fighting for survival. Brazil’s government plans to flood much of their land to build a $9.9 billion hydroelectric dam, the Sao Luiz do Tapajos, as part of a wider energy strategy across the Amazon rainforest.Mauricio Lima for The New York Times
Daily Life, 3rd prize singles. Raheleh, who was born blind, stands behind the window in the morning. She likes the warmness of the sunlight on her face. Babol, Mazandaran, Iran, Nov. 12, 2015.Zohreh Saberi, Mehrnews Agency
Daily Life, 1st prize stories. Chilean, Chinese and Russian research teams in Antartica seek to explore commercial opportunities that will arise once the treaties protecting the continent for scientific purposes expire.In this photograph, a Chilean scientist, supported by logisticians from the Chilean Antarctic Institute, are battered by waves on their way back to base after having taken sea-water samples; Fildes Bay, Antartica, Dec. 2, 2015.Daniel Berehulak, Australia for The New York Times
Daily Life, 1st prize stories. A priest looks on in the Bell room, after a vigil at the Russian Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity; Fildes Bay, Antartica, Dec. 3, 2015.Daniel Berehulak, Australia for The New York Times
Daily Life, 1st prize stories. The winter expedition crew of Russian research team and a Chilean scientist drink Samagon, a homemade vodka, in a bedroom of the Bellingshausen Antarctica base; Fildes Bay, Antartica, Dec. 28, 2015.Daniel Berehulak, Australia for The New York Times
Daily Life, 1st prize stories. A member of a German research team counts the number of penguin species and pairs as part of ongoing research on bird and penguin species in Antarctica; Fildes Bay, Antartica, Dec. 7, 2015.Daniel Berehulak, Australia for The New York Times
Daily Life, 2nd prize stories. Tibetan Buddhists take part in the annual Bliss Dharma Assembly. The last of four annual assemblies, the week-long annual gathering takes place in the ninth month of the Tibetan calendar and marks Buddha's descent from the heavens.In this photograph, Tibetan prayer flags, known as Lung-ta, on a hillside in the Larung Valley of Sertar County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province, China, Oct. 30, 2015.Kevin Frayer, Getty Images
Daily Life, 2nd prize stories. Tibetan Buddhist nuns stand following a chanting session in Sertar county, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province, China, Oct. 30, 2015.Kevin Frayer, Getty Images
Daily Life, 2nd prize stories. Tibetan Buddhist nomads cook by candlelight in Sertar county, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province, China, Oct. 31, 2015.Kevin Frayer, Getty Images
Daily Life, 2nd prize stories. Tibetan Buddhist nomads listen during the annual Bliss Dharma Assembly in Sertar county, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province, China, Oct. 31, 2015.Kevin Frayer, Getty Images
Daily Life, 3rd prize stories. A group of friends from Alemão, a slum in Rio de Janeiro, formed a media collective called Papo Reto, or "straight talk". Social media allow them to report stories from their community otherwise ignored by traditional media.In this photograph, Papo Reto collective members at Complexo do Alemao with a cableway station and cab in their back; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Feb. 8, 2015.Sebastián Liste, Noor
Daily Life, 3rd prize stories. The leader of the Papo Reto collective receives an image of a 22-year-old taxi driver who was shot dead by a police officer; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Feb. 8, 2015.Sebastián Liste, Noor
Daily Life, 3rd prize stories. Police patrolling the streets of Vila Aliança after a taxi driver was shot by police; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Feb. 8, 2015.Sebastián Liste, Noor
Daily Life, 3rd prize stories. Papo Reto collective members taking pictures and videos of the Special Police Forces tank car patrolling in the streets of Vila Aliança after a taxi driver was shot by police; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Feb. 8, 2015.Sebastián Liste, Noor

Richardson’s photo is just one of the many diverse images that was rewarded by this year’s jury. World Press Photo’s director Lars Boering welcomed the varied selection of winners across eight categories, from sports to wildlife to portraits. “What I like is that we have the top names of the industry, from Daniel Berehulak to Sergey Ponomarev and Francesco Zizola,” he tells TIME. “But we also have discoveries; the overall winner is a discovery.”

The refugee and migrant crisis on Europe’s shores dominated this year’s awards, from Richardson’s winning image to Sergey Ponomarev’s report for the New York Times.

The jury also rewarded two Syrian photographers — Abd Doumany and Sameer Al-Doumy — for their work from inside “the most terrifying fighting going on right now,” says Boering. “At a time when we ask ourselves who is able to tell this story, it’s nice to see two guys from Syria being recognized for their work.”

Here Are the Best Wildlife Photos of the Year

Nature, 1st prize storiesA Bornean orangutan climbs over 30 meters up a tree in the rain forest of Gunung Palung National Park, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, Aug. 12, 2015.Tim Laman
Nature, 1st prize storiesThe lives of wild orangutans are brought to light. Threats to these orangutans from fires, the illegal animal trade and loss of habitat due to deforestation have resulted in many orphan orangutans ending up at rehabilitation centers. A Sumatran orangutan threatens another nearby male in the Batang Toru Forest, North Sumatra Province, Indonesia, March 17, 2014.Tim Laman
Nature, 1st prize storiesA Bornean orangutan is seen through the smoke of forest fires along the Mangkutup River, Central Kalimantan Province, Indonesia, Oct. 24, 2015.Tim Laman
Nature, 1st prize storiesA veterinarian from International Animal Rescue carries a Bornean orangutan baby from a house where it was kept illegally as a pet in the village of Sungai Besar, West Kalimantan Province, Indonesia, July 27, 2015.Tim Laman
Nature, 2nd prize storiesSeries portraying the armed groups that profit most from the illegal ivory trade and the people at the frontline of the war against them, as well as others affected. In the case of the specific armed groups, the sale of ivory benefits the Lord’s Resistance Army, The Seleka Rebels of Central African Republic, the Janjaweed of Sudan and the F.D.L.R rebels who base themselves inside Virunga National Park in the DRC. In this photograph, rangers exhibit their riding skills as they return to Zakouma National Park after weeks on elephant patrol. Zakouma, Chad, Jan. 7, 2015.Brent Stirton, Getty Images for National Geographic
Nature, 2nd prize storiesA Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) fighter holds two ivory tusks. Ivory is a means of financing the LRA and is used for both food and weapon supplies. Near, Sudan, Nov. 17, 2014.Brent Stirton, Getty Images for National Geographic
Nature, 2nd prize storiesUgandan soldiers cross a river while on patrol against the Lord’s Resistance Army close to the border of the DRC. Mbeki, Central African Republic, Nov. 26, 2014.Brent Stirton, Getty Images for National Geographic
Nature, 2nd prize storiesA container filled with tons of illegal ivory. Togo is seen as a new opportunity by ivory smugglers with its new deep water port. Yet, customs officers with new container scanning technology have made the efforts of these smugglers more difficult. Lome, Togo, Jan. 29, 2014.Brent Stirton, Getty Images for National Geographic
Nature, 3rd prize stories. Madagascar holds more than half of the world's chameleon species; however, as a result of deforestation causing habitat loss, 50 percent of the chameleon species is endangered.
Nature, 3rd prize storiesMadagascar holds more than half of the world's chameleon species; however, as a result of deforestation causing habitat loss, 50 percent of the chameleon species is endangered. Two male Panther chameleons, Furcifer pardalis, fighting; Madagascar Exotique, Madagascar, Nov. 11, 2015.Christian Ziegler for National Geographic
Nature, 3rd prize storiesBrookesia decaryi male and female sit in perfect camouflage in the leaf litter of a dry forest in Ankarafantsika National Park, Madagascar, Nov. 26, 2015.Christian Ziegler for National Geographic
Nature, 3rd prize storiesA Furcifer ambrensis female foraging for insects with extendable tongue; Montain d’Ambre, Madagascar, Nov. 29, 2014.Christian Ziegler for National Geographic
Nature, 3rd prize storiesA juvenile Furcifer balteatus in a recently burned landscape. Fires are often deadly for chameleons, because they can't move fast enough to escape them. The common practice of burning the landscape at the end of every dry season has affected many species of chameleons, both directly via fatalities due to burning and indirectly due to habitat loss; Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar, 16 Nov. 2015.Christian Ziegler for National Geographic
Nature, 1st prize singles. A massive 'cloud tsunami' looms over Sydney as a sunbather reads, oblivious to the approaching cloud on Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia on Nov. 6, 2015.
Nature, 1st prize singlesA massive 'cloud tsunami' looms over Sydney as a sunbather reads, oblivious to the approaching cloud on Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia on Nov. 6, 2015.Rohan Kelly for Daily Telegraph
Nature, 2nd prize singles. Divers observe and surround a humpback whale and her newborn calf whilst they swim around Roca Partida in the Revillagigedo Islands, Mexico, Jan. 28, 2015.
Nature, 2nd prize singlesDivers observe and surround a humpback whale and her newborn calf whilst they swim around Roca Partida in the Revillagigedo Islands, Mexico, Jan. 28, 2015.Anuar Patjane Floriuk
Nature, 3rd prize singles. Colima Volcano in Mexico shows a powerful night explosion with lightning, ballistic projectiles and incandescent rockfalls; image taken in the Comala municipality in Colima, Mexico, Dec. 13, 2015.
Nature, 3rd prize singlesColima Volcano in Mexico shows a powerful night explosion with lightning, ballistic projectiles and incandescent rockfalls; image taken in the Comala municipality in Colima, Mexico, Dec. 13, 2015.Sergio Velasco Garcia

In the Long-Term Project category, which rewards photographers working on a single issue over a minimum of three successive years, the jury awarded Mary Calvert’s documentation of sexual assault cases in the U.S. military. Nancy Borowick, who photographed both of her parents’ terminal cancers, received second prize, while David Guttenfelder’s insight into North Korean society received third prize.

This year’s contest also represents the contest’s emerging from the controversy that overshadowed last year’s awards, when 20% of entries that made it to the final round were disqualified for manipulation or excessive processing, and one photographer was found to have misled the jury in the description of his work. The debate that followed threatened World Press Photo’s reputation, but Boering says the organization has ultimately benefited from the resulting conversations with photographers, editors and other experts. “This was key for both sides to start to understand the other’s values,” he says. “We used that to built a good set of rules and procedures. By opening ourselves up, we improved ourselves.”

Here Are the Best Sports Photos of the Year

Czech Republic's Ondrej Bank crashes during the downhill race of the Alpine Combined at the FIS World Championships in Beaver Creek, Colorado, USA, on February 15, 2015.
Sports, 1st prize singles. Czech Republic's Ondrej Bank crashes during the downhill race of the Alpine Combined at the FIS World Championships in Beaver Creek, Colorado, USA, on Feb. 15, 2015.Christian Walgram, GEPA Pictures for National Geographic
Sports, 2nd prize singles. During the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 2015 Mens Basketball Tournament game with Wichita State vs. Indiana, Ron Baker shoots over Nick Zeisloft whilst Hanner Mosquera-Perea and Rashard Kelly battle for position at the CenturyLink Center in Omaha, Nebraska, USA, on March 20, 2015.Greg Nelson for Sports Illustrated
Sports, 3rd prize singles. Members of the Neptun Synchro synchronized swimming team perform during a Christmas show in Stockholm, Sweden, on 13 December 2015.Jonas Lindkvist for Dagens Nyheter
Sports, 1st prize stories. The match between junior teams from Vetluga and village Sharanga in Vetluga, Russia, Feb. 19 2015.Vladimir Pesnya for Sputnik
Sports, 1st prize stories. A player from the junior team from the village Sharanga is expected to yield to the ice in Vetluga, Russia, Feb. 19, 2015.Vladimir Pesnya for Sputnik
Sports, 1st prize stories. Players of an amateur hockey team in provincial Russia before, during and after a game in the regional championship in Vetluga, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia. In this photograph, Evgeny Solovyov, head coach of HC Vetluga prepares the stadium for the match in Vetluga, Russia, Feb. 19, 2015. Vladimir Pesnya for Sputnik
Sports, 1st prize stories. Players in the locker room of HC Vetluga at halftime, Vetluga, Russia, Feb. 19, 2015.Vladimir Pesnya for Sputnik
Sports, 2nd prize stories. BB Bisma Ndoye defeats the wrestler Maraka Dji in the Demba Diop stadium in Dakar, Sierra Leone, April 5, 2015.Christian Bobst
Sports, 2nd prize stories. A tournament in the Adrien Senghor arena leans towards the end. The wrestling fights take place in the late evenings when temperatures drop. Dakar, Sierra Leone, March 28, 2015.Christian Bobst
Sports, 2nd prize stories. Wrestlers performing rituals in Senegal. These tournaments resemble a festival including dance performances, music, and wrestling shows. In this photograph, Kherou, a young wrestling champion, performs a ritual in the water of the sea while pouring milk over his body in order to obtain the reinforcement of a ghost who lives in the stones at the shore. Dakar, Sierra Leone, Aug. 11, 2015.Christian Bobst
Sports, 2nd prize stories. A group of people watch the wrestling match on television in Dakar, Senegal, April 4, 2015.Christian Bobst
Sports, 3rd prize stories. Erison Turây plays in a practice match with female members of the Ebola Survivors Football Club in the city of Kenema, Sierra Leone, April 21, 2015.Tara Todras-Whitehill, Vignette Interactive
Sports, 3rd prize stories. Erison Turay founded the Ebola Survivor's Football Club to support survivors, after 38 members of his family had died. In this photograph, Erison Turây walks to the football pitch to practice with the Ebola Survivors Soccer Club. Kenema, Sierra Leone, April 21, 2015.Tara Todras-Whitehill, Vignette Interactive
Sports, 3rd prize stories. Residents of Freetown cheer for the Ebola Survivors Football Club on a field in the city of Kenema, Sierra Leone, April 21, 2015.Tara Todras-Whitehill, Vignette Interactive
Sports, 3rd prize stories. Prison Turây, centre right, helps referee a practice game with female members of the Ebola Survivors Football Club in the city of Kerema, Sierra Leone, April 21, 2015.Tara Todras-Whitehill, Vignette Interactive

World Press Photo plans to release a report on this year’s process on Feb. 29. “That report needs to be a separate discussion,” says Boering. “Today, we want to celebrate the winners.”

Olivier Laurent is the editor of TIME LightBox. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @olivierclaurent

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