TIME’s Best Photojournalism of 2016

2 minute read
Iraqi Army commanders survey the front line in the villageof Kharbardan, south of Mosul, May 18, 2016. The Iraqi military seized the village from ISIS in March, as a part of a grinding march toward the city of Mosul, a major city that has been under ISIS control since June 2014.From "Yuri Kozyrev: On the Front Lines of the War Against ISIS"Yuri Kozyrev—Noor for TIME
By TIME Photo

In 2016, TIME commissioned photojournalism across the globe, assigning photographers in Greece, Syria, Libya, Iraq, Nepal, Cuba, Venezuela and the South China Sea. They brought us unforgettable images from the continuing migrant crisis in Europe to the civil war in South Sudan, the collapse of Venezuela and Iraq’s battle against ISIS.

James Nachtwey returned to Greece where the historic migration into Europe pressed on without ease. He documented the influx of Afghan, Syrian and Iraqi refugees to the Greek island of Lesbos and shed light on the squalid conditions in a camp between the Greek and Macedonian borders. Nachtwey also returned to Nepal where he continued his coverage of the the aftermath from 2015’s devastating earthquake.

Lynsey Addario uncovered war crimes in Leer, South Sudan where government forces captured more than 50 men and imprisoned them in a shipping container for 36 hours. Her portrait of the only survivor, a 13-year-old boy, was published on the cover of TIME International’s May 30 issue.

Domestically, Christopher Morris was joined by Landon Nordeman, Ben Lowy, Natalie Keyssar and Dina Litovsky as they followed the campaigns that led to the most polarizing election in recent U.S. history. Ruddy Roye crisscrossed America documenting the moods of Dallas, Baton Rouge, La., and Minneapolis, which were thrown into the spotlight after a string of deaths during a racially charged summer.

As one tumultuous year ends and another begins, TIME looks back at these photographers and their important, evocative and sometimes surprising work.

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Rape as a Weapon of War
Ayak poses while nine months pregnant at a safe house in Uganda, Dec. 8, 2015. She lost her entire family to a rebel attack on her village near Bentiu, in South Sudan. She was raped while fleeing, alone, for a U.N. camp, and then raped repeatedly while she was at the camp. One of her rapists gave her HIV. Ayak says that her unborn child is the only family she is likely to ever have.From "The Secret War Crime: How Do You Ask Women to Relive Their Worst Nightmares?"Lynsey Addario—Getty Images Reportage for TIME
A woman cries after her boat arrives on the island of Lesbos, Greece.
A woman cries after her boat arrives on the island of Lesbos, Greece, Nov. 24, 2015.From "James Nachtwey: The Refugees’ Lonely Journey"James Nachtwey for TIME
A man spreads his arms in a bid to defuse tensions between asylum seekers and police at a demonstration at the Macedonian border.
A man spreads his arms in a bid to defuse tensions between asylum seekers and police at a demonstration at the Macedonian border, Nov. 28, 2015.From "James Nachtwey: The Refugees’ Lonely Journey"James Nachtwey for TIME
Refugees and migrants from many countries, including Afghanistan, Morocco, Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Somalia. They are camped on the Greek-Macedonian border in the village of Idomeni because Macedonia closed its borders to any migrants who are not from Iraq or Syria. Demonstrating in front of Macedonian border police. Macedonain soldiers constructing a fence to keep migrants out. Those not permitted to cross watching through a fence as those who are permitted make the crossing. Migrants hurl rocks at the Macedonian forces who take cover behind riot shields. A chaotic food distribution by a local non-NGO.by James Nachtwey
Two men attempt to stop rock-throwing between migrants and police at the Greek-Macedonian border, Nov. 28, 2015. Refugees and migrants from many countries, including Morocco, Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Somalia are camped on the Greek-Macedonian border in the village of Idomeni because Macedonia closed its borders to many migrants who are not from the war-torn countries of Afghanistan, Iraq or Syria.From "James Nachtwey: The Refugees’ Lonely Journey"James Nachtwey for TIME
Donald Trump waves to supporters as he leaves from a rally at Marshalltown Community School District - Roundhouse Gymnasium on Jan. 26, 2016.From "A Photographer’s View of the Iowa Caucuses"Natalie Keyssar for TIME
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Republican presidential candidate, Marco Rubio, appeared at a GOP caucus location with his family on Feb. 1, 2016, at the 7 Flags Event Center in Clive, Iowa.From "A Photographer’s View of the Iowa Caucuses"Natalie Keyssar for TIME
Hillary Clinton campaigning in New Hampshire presidential primary. Winnacunnet High School, Hampton, NH. Being interviewed by Joe Klein of TIME Magazine.by James Nachtwey
Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton talks to supporters while campaigning at Winnacunnet High School in Hampton, N.H. Feb. 2, 2016.From "What It’s Like to Photograph Hillary Clinton"James Nachtwey for TIME
Anjuli Willmer sports double flags at a New Hampshire primary night rally for Democratic presidential candidate, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders at Concord High School on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2016, in Concord, N.H.From "Chasing the Flag in New Hampshire"Landon Nordeman for TIME
President Barack Obama and American Ballet Theater's principal dancer, Misty Copeland, in the Oval Office of the White House. 20160229. Photos by Callie Shell.
President Barack Obama and American Ballet Theater principal dancer, Misty Copeland, in the Oval Office at the White House, Feb. 29, 2016.From "In Conversation: Misty Copeland and Barack Obama." March 28, 2016 issue.Callie Shell for TIME
South Sudan Civil War; Leer
A South Sudanese boy in a safe house in Leer, in Unity State, South Sudan, March 19, 2016. He was the sole survivor of an October 2015 incident, during which government forces closed some 50 men in a shipping container for 36 hours until they suffocated.From "The Only One God Left Alive"Lynsey Addario—Getty Images Reportage for TIME
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Tens of thousands of South Sudanese line up for food handouts on March 17, 2016. The fighting has left many in the country starving.From "The Only One God Left Alive"Lynsey Addario—Getty Images Reportage for TIME
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An estimated 1,000 migrants made their way from the sprawling camp in Idomeni, Greece and crossed a river near the border in the hopes of crossing into Macedonia, March 14, 2016.From "James Nachtwey: A New Purgatory for Thousands of Refugees"James Nachtwey for TIME
Refugees in camp at border of Greece and Macedonia near town of Idomeni. The refugees are being stopped from moving beyond Greece and have been languishing in the rain and the mud and the cold with insufficient food and medical care while sleeping in small tents. by James Nachtwey
Refugees seek warmth in a camp at the border of Greece and Macedonia near the town of Idomeni. The path that more than a million asylum seekers had used to reach Germany last year, going from Turkey to Greece and up through the Balkans is no longer possible because of border closures, leaving thousands stranded in Greece, March 13, 2016.From "James Nachtwey: A New Purgatory for Thousands of Refugees"James Nachtwey for TIME
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A Syrian army soldier removes his helmet while sitting on rubble of the former Temple of Bel, one of several sites destroyed by ISIS militants, in ancient Palmyra, Syria, April 1, 2016.From "Inside War Ravaged Syria"Lorenzo Meloni—Magnum Photos
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Syrian army generals and soldiers gaze over modern Palmyra from the medieval hilltop citadel, April 1, 2016.From "Inside War Ravaged Syria"Lorenzo Meloni—Magnum Photos
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A volunteer soldier from the Syrian National Defense Forces holds up an ISIS flag, discovered in a street of downtown Palmyra, Syria, April 1, 2016.From "Inside War Ravaged Syria"Lorenzo Meloni—Magnum Photos
The village of Barpak, in Gorkha district, close to the epicenter of the earthquake, which destroyed almost the entire village. Villagers rebuilding houses and pathways and building a new religious stupa. Much of the work is accomplished communally. Buddha Himal mountain in background.by James Nachtwey
Villagers rebuild houses and pathways in the Himalayan village of Barpak, in Gorkha district, Nepal, at the epicenter of the April and May 2015 earthquakes which killed 9,000 people, April 6, 2016.From "James Nachtwey: A Year After the Devastating Earthquake"James Nachtwey for TIME
The village of Barpak, in Gorkha district, close to the epicenter of the earthquake, which destroyed almost the entire village. Villagers rebuilding houses and pathways and building a new religious stupa. Much of the work is accomplished communally.by James Nachtwey
Approaching the first anniversary of Nepal's 2015 quakes, money from international donors has yet to reach victims. A political fight overtook reconstruction efforts, leaving villagers in communities like Barpak, needing to rebuild on their own, April 7, 2016.From "James Nachtwey: A Year After the Devastating Earthquake"James Nachtwey for TIME
The village of Barpak, in Gorkha district, close to the epicenter of the earthquake, which destroyed almost the entire village. Villagers rebuilding houses and pathways and building a new religious stupa. Much of the work is accomplished communally.by James Nachtwey
Nearly a year after Nepal's earthquakes of 2015, villagers work at rebuilding with little or no government support, Barpak, Nepal, April 3, 2016.From "James Nachtwey: A Year After the Devastating Earthquake"James Nachtwey for TIME
Iraqi Army commanders survey the front line in the villageof Kharbardan, south of Mosul, May 18, 2016. The Iraqi military seized the village from ISIS in March, as a part of a grinding march toward the city of Mosul, a major city that has been under ISIS control since June 2014.From "Yuri Kozyrev: On the Front Lines of the War Against ISIS"Yuri Kozyrev—Noor for TIME
A U.S. Army soldier John Crowmer, 23, from Noblesville, IN, guards the U.S. military base at Camp Swift, near the Iraqi town of Makhmour, May 17, 2016. As of April, at least 4,087 U.S. military personnel were deployed in Iraq, many of them backing Iraqi forces in the drive to reclaim territory from ISIS.From "Yuri Kozyrev: On the Front Lines of the War Against ISIS"Yuri Kozyrev—Noor for TIME
Qubad Miqdad Murad, a police officer in his thirties, stands in a camp for internally displaced people near the Iraqi town of Sinjar, May 13, 2016. Murad returned to Sinjar after Kurdish forces recaptured it from ISIS in Nov. 2015, but he since decided to move to the IDP camp in the mountains above Sinjar, fearing for the safety of his family as ISIS continues to shell the area.From "Yuri Kozyrev: On the Front Lines of the War Against ISIS"Yuri Kozyrev—Noor for TIME
Tuz Khurmatu , Iraq May 20 2016
A young girl walks by a wall in the town of Tuz Khurmatu, northern Iraq, May 20, 2016. Walls have been installed in the city as a result of recent fighting between rival Kurdish and Shiite Turkmen factions. The deadly clashes signaled tension among among two groups nominally united in the broader fight against ISIS.From "Yuri Kozyrev: On the Front Lines of the War Against ISIS"Yuri Kozyrev—Noor for TIME
05/10/2016 Philippines controlled Spratly Islands area, South China Sea. The front of Wonder Boy fishing boat on the way back to Rizal, Palawan. South China Sea on 05/10/2016.
The "Wonder Boy" a 36-foot bamboo outrigger boat, on which TIME's East Asia bureau chief Hannah Beech and photographer Chiara Goia, made their voyage to the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, May 10, 2016.From "Adrift in the South China Sea on a Boat Called ‘Wonder Boy’"Chiara Goia for TIME
05/08/2016 Patag, Philippines controlled Spratly Islands, South China Sea. Marines walk on the shore of Patag island in the afternoon. Philippines' controlled Spratly Islands in the South China Sea on 05/08/2016.
Seven Filipino soldiers walk with their dogs along the shoreline of Flat Island, May 8, 2016.From "Adrift in the South China Sea on a Boat Called ‘Wonder Boy’"Chiara Goia for TIME
Marta, right, and Liset nervously watch for the signal to run to awaiting cars after crossing the border from Guyana into Brazil on May 14, 2016.From "The Long Way to America"Lisette Poole—Redux Pictures
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Antwoin and Antonio Nelson, both 18, of Flint, Mich., pose for a pre-prom picture outside Northwestern High School, May 21, 2016.From "Prom Season in Flint: How the City Celebrates in a Time of Crisis"Brittany Greeson
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Bernie Sanders supporters at a campaign rally at Waterfront Park in Vallejo, Calif., on May 18, 2016.From "Bernie Sanders’ Californian Dreams"Carolyn Drake—Magnum Photos for TIME
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Santa Monica High School Football Field on May 23, 2016. From "The 82 Most Unforgettable Photos From the Election"Nate Gowdy for TIME
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Bernie Sanders greets supporters at a campaign rally at Rancho Buena Vista High School in Vista, Calif., May 22, 2016.From "Bernie Sanders’ Californian Dreams"Carolyn Drake—Magnum Photos for TIME
Russian President Vladimir Putin poses for a photo with his Greek counterpart, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, alongside senior Orthodox monks and other dignitaries on the stairs of the administrative headquarters of Mount Athos, a self-governing monastic community in northern Greece, May 28, 2016.From "Inside Vladimir Putin’s Pilgrimage to the Holy Mountain"Yuri Kozyrev—Noor for TIME
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Mourners attend a makeshift vigil and a moment of silence for victims of the mass shooting in Orlando, Fla., on June 12, 2016.From "Scenes From the Tragic Aftermath of the Orlando Pulse Nightclub Shooting"Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
Assistant Chief of Police Gary Tittle comforts a young man in front of the police station where a memorial was erected for people to come and grieve. July 9, 2016, Dallas, Texas.From "How One Photo Captured Both Unity and Division in America"Radcliffe Roye for TIME
Baton Rouge, La.: Quinyetta McMillon says her final goodbye to Alton Sterling with a kiss as their 15-year-old son Cameron looks on with tears. They are flanked by relatives who rushed to the front to say goodbye for the final time. July 15, 2016.From "Lessons From a Tragic Month in America"Radcliffe Roye for TIME
Prisoners inside a crowded cell at the Chacao municipal police station in eastern Caracas. There is no room to sit and prisoners take turns resting on sheets tied to bars like hammocks. Jails in Venezuela are seriously overcrowded with shortages of food and medicine. Because of the economic and political crisis, the number of prisoners grows daily as more Venezuelans are arrested for crimes, including mugging, kidnapping and murder, June 2016. From "Witnessing a ‘Complete Collapse of Society’ in Venezuela"Alvaro Ybarra Zavala—Getty Images Reportage for TIME
A street performer in Caracas, where the economic and political crisis has escalated over recent months, bringing the country to the brink of total collapse, June 2016. Over the 17 years that Venezuela has been ruled by the socialist alliance of the late President Hugo Chavez, the country has been plagued by hyperinflation, a health crisis due to lack of medicines and deteriorating conditions in hospitals, food shortages, lack of electricity, explosive violent crime, and the rise of both left wing guerrillas and right wing paramilitary groups.From "Witnessing a ‘Complete Collapse of Society’ in Venezuela"Alvaro Ybarra Zavala—Getty Images Reportage for TIME
Bison are photographed on Ted Turner’s Flying D Ranch outside Bozeman, MT on Tuesday, June 14, 2016.From "A Visual Ode to the American Dream"Andrew Moore for TIME
A Libyan fighter runs from a landmine explosion which injured three of his comrades, Sirt, Libya, July 2016.From "Inside ISIS’ Last Bastion in Libya"Lorenzo Meloni— Magnum Photos
Two fighters on the frontline in a newly-captured building on the grounds of the Ougadougou Complex, a convention center, Sirt, Libya, July 2016.From "Inside ISIS’ Last Bastion in Libya"Lorenzo Meloni— Magnum Photos
Libyan fighters unearth an ISIS mass grave, Sirt, Libya, July 2016.From "Inside ISIS’ Last Bastion in Libya"Lorenzo Meloni— Magnum Photos
A Libyan spotter identifies ISIS positions on the westernmost frontline against ISIS on the Sirt seafront, July 2016.From "Inside ISIS’ Last Bastion in Libya"Lorenzo Meloni— Magnum Photos
A Libyan sniper and his spotter in the Hay Dollar neighborhood, Sirt, Libya, July 2016.From "Inside ISIS’ Last Bastion in Libya"Lorenzo Meloni— Magnum Photos
Libyan fighters carry a comrade injured by an ISIS landmine, Sirt, Libya, July 2016.From "Inside ISIS’ Last Bastion in Libya"Lorenzo Meloni— Magnum Photos
Donald Trump takes the stage at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland, on July 18, 2016.From "The 82 Most Unforgettable Photos From the Election"Landon Nordeman for TIME
A man dons a "Make America Great Again" hat at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, July 19, 2016.Ben Lowy for TIME
Melania Trump kisses her husband, Donald Trump in front of an ecstatic crowd, on July 18, 2016.From "The 82 Most Unforgettable Photos From the Election"Ben Lowy for TIME
A fight between protestors at City Hall in Philadelphia to watch speaker Jill Stein and protest the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center on July 26, 2016.From "The 82 Most Unforgettable Photos From the Election"Natalie Keyssar for TIME
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump congratulates Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence after he delivered a speech on the third day of the Republican National Convention on July 20, 2016 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.From "The 82 Most Unforgettable Photos From the Election"Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
An ecstatic Hillary Clinton celebrates at the conclusion of the Democratic National Convention where she accepted the nomination in Philadelphia, on July 28, 2016.From "The 82 Most Unforgettable Photos From the Election"Ben Lowy for TIME
Security backstage on the fourth day of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania July 28, 2016.From "The 82 Most Unforgettable Photos From the Election"Natalie Keyssar for TIME
Gold Medal favorite Simone Biles practices gymnastics at her family’s World Champions Centre in Spring, TX on Thurs. July 14, 2016.From "Finding Poetry in Sport Photography"Thomas Prior for TIME
Gold Medalist sprinter Justin Gatlin practices at Montverde Academy in Montverde, Fla. on Fri. July 22, 2016.From "Finding Poetry in Sport Photography"Thomas Prior for TIME
Hundreds of migrants wait to be rescued, as search-and-rescue teams circle the boat, off the coast of Libya, Aug. 21, 2016.From "Migrants’ Last Hope: A Rescue on the Mediterranean Sea"Lynsey Addario—Getty Images Reportage for TIME
A group of men sleep on MV Aquarius ship after being rescued by search-and-rescue teams jointly operated by Médecins Sans Frontières and SOS Méditerranée, Aug. 21, 2016.From "Migrants’ Last Hope: A Rescue on the Mediterranean Sea"Lynsey Addario—Getty Images Reportage for TIME
Migrants pass the life jackets being handed out by the search-and-rescue teams with Médecins Sans Frontières and SOS Méditerranée off the coast of Libya, Aug. 21, 2016.From "Migrants’ Last Hope: A Rescue on the Mediterranean Sea"Lynsey Addario—Getty Images Reportage for TIME
Jeffrey Kluger, TIME'S space writer, suited up as an astronaut would be, looks down at the HI-SEAS facility on Hawaii's Mauna Loa, Sept. 1, 2016. Kluger spent 24 hours inside NASA's Simulated Mars Base in Hawaii.From "My Day on Mars." Sept. 26, 2016 issue.Cassandra Klos for TIME
Three members of the White Helmets arrive at the site of an airstrike in Douma on Oct. 5, 2016.From "The White Helmets of Syria." Oct. 17, 2016 issue.Mohammed Badra—EPA For TIME
Police officers stop and search the occupants of a car in East Liverpool, Ohio, on Oct. 7, 2016. They eventually released the men after the search.From "The Small Town Police Force Behind the Viral Photo of an Overdose"Ben Lowy for TIME
A family stands in the remains of their destroyed home in Roche-à-Bateau, southwestern Haiti, on Oct. 8, 2016. More than 1,000 people were reported killed by Hurricane Matthew, the worst storm to hit the island in more than 50 years.From "On the Ground in Hurricane-Wrecked Haiti " Andrew McConnell—Panos
Sedra walks her brother Mutaz, sister Hala (with pink backpack) and a friend to their school-bus stop in the family’s neighborhood in Des Moines, Sept. 19, 2016.From "A Syrian Family Finds a New Home in Iowa " Danny Wilcox Frazier—VII for TIME
Trump for President rally in Lakeland, Florida, Oct. 12, 2016.From "The 82 Most Unforgettable Photos From the Election"Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
Donald Trump rally at the Florida State Fair Grounds in Tampa, Fla. on Nov. 5, 2016.Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
Donald Trump walks onstage at a rally in Tampa, Fla., Oct. 24, 2016.Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
Little Miss Pennsylvania holds a campaign sign for Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump at a rally on Nov. 4, 2016 in Hershey, Pa. Ben Lowy for TIME
Supporters attend an election night party for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton on Nov. 8, 2016 at the Javits Center in New York City.From "A Momentous Election Day: The Best Photographs "Landon Nordeman for TIME
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during his Victory Party on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016 in New York's Manhattan borough.From "The 82 Most Unforgettable Photos From the Election"Dina Litovsky—Redux for TIME
Trump arrives with his family to greet the crowd at his victory celebration in New York on Nov. 9, 2016.From "Message Delivered." Nov. 21, 2016 issue.Christopher Morris—VII for TIME
Scenes from President-elect Donald Trump's Victory Party on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016 in New York's Manhattan borough.From "Inside Donald Trump’s Election Night Celebration "Dina Litovsky—Redux for TIME

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