Last year saw both triumph and tragedy — and photojournalists have documented it all. They covered some of the most powerful global events around the world, including the Lake Chad crisis in Nigeria, the migrant caravan which struggled to seek asylum in the United States, and the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
The annual World Press Photo Contest recognizes the incredible work of these photographers who travel the world, at times putting themselves in harm's way, to capture important moments and global issues. On Wednesday, the contest announced its six nominees for "Photo of the Year."
The contest is one of the most prestigious in the world and highlights impeccable visual journalism produced in 2018. Now in its 62nd year, the contest saw 4,738 photographers from 129 countries submit 78,801 images.
"As the need for images and stories we can trust has never been greater, we are proud to recognize these visual journalists and digital storytellers," Lars Boering, the managing director of the World Press Photo Foundation, said in a press statement.
The nominated photos highlight the most important news events that unfolded in 2018, from the backlash following journalist Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance to the separation of migrant families at the US-Mexico border to the water crisis in South Africa.
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This year, the organization has also introduced a major new award: the World Press Photo Story of the Year. The honor will be awarded to the photographer "whose visual creativity and skills produced a story with excellent editing and sequencing."
These are some of the most powerful photos nominated by the World Press Photo Foundation nominees this year. They highlight some of the most devastating events of 2018 in the visually compelling ways, and emphasize the need to take action on these issues.
Nominees for the World Press Photo of the Year:
Crying Girl on the Border
Honduran toddler Yanela Sanchez cries as she and her mother, Sandra Sanchez, are taken into custody by US border officials in McAllen, Texas, USA, on June 12.
Honduran toddler Yanela Sanchez cries as she and her mother, Sandra Sanchez, are taken into custody by US border officials in McAllen, Texas, USA, on June 12.
Akashinga - the Brave Ones
Petronella Chigumbura (30), a member of an all-female anti-poaching unit called Akashinga, participates in stealth and concealment training in the Phundundu Wildlife Park, Zimbabwe.
Petronella Chigumbura (30), a member of an all-female anti-poaching unit called Akashinga, participates in stealth and concealment training in the Phundundu Wildlife Park, Zimbabwe.
Almajiri Boy
An orphaned boy walks past a wall with drawings depicting rocket-propelled grenade launchers, in Bol, Chad. A humanitarian crisis is underway in the Chad Basin, caused by a complex combination of political conflict and environmental factors.
An orphaned boy walks past a wall with drawings depicting rocket-propelled grenade launchers, in Bol, Chad. A humanitarian crisis is underway in the Chad Basin, caused by a complex combination of political conflict and environmental factors.
Being Pregnant After FARC Child-Bearing Ban
Yorladis is pregnant for the sixth time, after five other pregnancies were terminated during her FARC years. She says she managed to hide the fifth pregnancy from her commander until the sixth month by wearing loose clothes.
Yorladis is pregnant for the sixth time, after five other pregnancies were terminated during her FARC years. She says she managed to hide the fifth pregnancy from her commander until the sixth month by wearing loose clothes.
The Disappearance of Jamal Kashoggi
An unidentified man tries to hold back the press on October 15, as Saudi investigators arrive at the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, amid a growing international backlash to the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
An unidentified man tries to hold back the press on October 15, as Saudi investigators arrive at the Saudi Arabian Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, amid a growing international backlash to the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Victims of an Alleged Gas Attack Receive Treatment in Eastern Ghouta
A man and a child receive treatment after the suspected gas attack on al-Shifunieh, Feb. 25 2018.
A man and a child receive treatment after the suspected gas attack on al-Shifunieh, Feb. 25 2018.
Nominees for the World Press Photo Story of the Year:
The Lake Chad Crisis:
A humanitarian crisis is underway in the Chad Basin, caused by a complex combination of political conflict and environmental factors. Lake Chad—once one of Africa’s largest lakes and a lifeline to 40 million people—is experiencing massive desertification. As a result of unplanned irrigation, extended drought, deforestation and resource mismanagement, the size of the lake has decreased by 90 percent over the past 60 years. Traditional livelihoods such as fishing have withered, and water shortages are causing conflict between farmers and cattle herders. Jihadist group Boko Haram, which is active in the area, both benefits from the hardship and widespread hunger and contributes to it. The group uses local villages as a recruiting ground, and the protracted conflict has uprooted 2.5 million people, exacerbating food insecurity.
The Lake Chad Crisis
The Lake Chad Crisis
The Lake Chad Crisis
The Lake Chad Crisis
The Migrant Caravan:
During October and November 2018, thousands of Central American migrants joined a caravan heading to the United States border. The caravan, assembled through a grassroots social media campaign, left San Pedro Sula, Honduras, on 12 October 2018, and as word spread drew people from Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala. They were a mix of those facing political repression and violence, and those fleeing harsh economic conditions in the hope of a better life. Traveling in a caravan offered a degree of safety on a route where migrants have previously disappeared or been kidnapped, and was an alternative to paying high rates to people smugglers. Migrant caravans travel to the US border at different times each year, but this was the largest in recent memory with as many as 7,000 travelers, including at least 2,300 children, according to UN agencies.
The Migrant Caravan
The Migrant Caravan
The Migrant Caravan
The Migrant Caravan
Yemen Crisis:
After nearly four years of conflict in Yemen, at least 8.4 million people are at risk of starvation and 22 million people—75% of the population—are in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the UN. In 2014, Houthi Shia Muslim rebels seized northern areas of the country, forcing the president, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, into exile. The conflict spread, and escalated when Saudi Arabia, in coalition with eight other mostly Sunni Arab states, began air strikes against the Houthis. By 2018, the war had led to what the UN termed the world’s worst man-made humanitarian disaster.
Yemen Crisis
Yemen Crisis
Yemen Crisis
Yemen Crisis
Nominees in the categories of general news, environment, contemporary issues, nature, people, sports, spot news, and long-term projects.
The Cubanitas: Pura rides around her neighborhood in a pink 1950s convertible, as the community gathers to celebrate her fifteenth birthday, in Havana, Cuba. Nominated in the Contemporary Issues Singles category.
The Cubanitas: Pura rides around her neighborhood in a pink 1950s convertible, as the community gathers to celebrate her fifteenth birthday, in Havana, Cuba. Nominated in the Contemporary Issues Singles category.
Crying for Freedom: Women follow the match from a separate stand, Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Nov. 10, 2018.
In Iran, female fans are banned from entering football stadiums to watch the nation’s most popular sport. Nominated in the Sports Stories category.
Crying for Freedom: Women follow the match from a separate stand, Azadi Stadium, Tehran, Nov. 10, 2018.
In Iran, female fans are banned from entering football stadiums to watch the nation’s most popular sport. Nominated in the Sports Stories category.
Evacuated: Evacuated horses stand tied to a pole, as smoke from a wildfire billows above them, on Zuma Beach, in Malibu, California, USA, on November 10. Nominated in the Environmental Singles category.
Evacuated: Evacuated horses stand tied to a pole, as smoke from a wildfire billows above them, on Zuma Beach, in Malibu, California, USA, on November 10. The 2018 wildfire season in California was the deadliest and most destructive on record, burning an area of more than 676,000 hectares. Nominated in the Environmental Singles category.
Meet Bob: Bob, a rescued Caribbean flamingo, lives among humans on the Dutch island of Curaçao. Bob was badly injured when he flew into a window, and was cared for by Odette Doest who runs a wildlife rehabilitation center. Nominated in the Nature Stories.
Meet Bob: Bob, a rescued Caribbean flamingo, lives among humans on the Dutch island of Curaçao. Bob was badly injured when he flew into a window, and was cared for by Odette Doest who runs a wildlife rehabilitation center. Nominated in the Nature Stories Category.
The House That Bleeds: Yael Martínez documents the psychological and emotional fracture of the families of missing people in Mexico, to give a personal account of the despair and sense of absence that accrues over time. Nominated in the Long-term Projects
The House That Bleeds: Yael Martínez documents the psychological and emotional fracture of the families of missing people in Mexico, to give a personal account of the despair and sense of absence that accrues over time. Nominated in the Long-term Projects category.
Wild Pumas of Patagonia: Young female puma at Torres del Paine. Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia is thought to contain higher concentrations of pumas than anywhere else in the world. Nominated in the Nature Stories category.
Wild Pumas of Patagonia: Young female puma at Torres del Paine. Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia is thought to contain higher concentrations of pumas than anywhere else in the world. Nominated in the Nature Stories category.
Still Life Volcano: The living-room of an abandoned home in San Miguel Los Lotes, Guatemala, lies covered in ash after the eruption of Volcán de Fuego on June 3, 2018. Nominated in the General News Singles category.
Still Life Volcano: The living-room of an abandoned home in San Miguel Los Lotes, Guatemala, lies covered in ash after the eruption of Volcán de Fuego on June 3, 2018. Nominated in the General News Singles category.
Climbing the Border Fence: Central American migrants climb the border fence between Mexico and the United States, near El Chaparral border crossing, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, on Nov. 25, 2018. Nominated in the Spot News Singles category.
Climbing the Border Fence: Central American migrants climb the border fence between Mexico and the United States, near El Chaparral border crossing, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, on Nov. 25, 2018. Nominated in the Spot News Singles category.
Fighting Ebola and Conflict: A health worker waits to handle an unconfirmed case of Ebola at a newly built treatment centre in Bunia, 200 km north of Beni, on Nov. 7, 2018. Nominated in the General News Stories category.
Fighting Ebola and Conflict: Beni, in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has been affected by conflict for over 25 years, and in 2018 had also to deal with a major outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus. A health worker waits to handle an unconfirmed case of Ebola at a newly built treatment centre in Bunia, 200 km north of Beni, on 7 November 2018.
State of Decay: Alejandro Cegarra's series documents the changes in Venzuela, picking up the story in 2013, starting with Chavez’s death, and aims to tell the story of a crumbling country from the inside. Nominated in the Long-term Projects category.
State of Decay: Alejandro Cegarra's series documents the changes in Venzuela, picking up the story in 2013, starting with Chavez’s death, and aims to tell the story of a crumbling country from the inside. Nominated in the Long-term Projects category.
Meet Bob: Bob, a rescued Caribbean flamingo, lives among humans on the Dutch island of Curaçao. Bob accompanies Odette on a visit to a school to educate children about flamingos and their habitat. Nominated in the Nature Stories category.
Meet Bob: Bob, a rescued Caribbean flamingo, lives among humans on the Dutch island of Curaçao. Bob accompanies Odette on a visit to a school to educate children about flamingos and their habitat. Nominated in the Nature Stories category.
Northwest Passages: Mharie (83), in Eugene, Oregon, used to draw her curtains so that neighbors wouldn’t see her dressed in women’s clothes while her wife was out. Nominated in the Portraits Stories category.
Northwest Passages: Mharie (83), in Eugene, Oregon, used to draw her curtains so that neighbors wouldn’t see her dressed in women’s clothes while her wife was out. Transgender individuals around the world are still exposed to widespread social stigma and abuse. Nominated in the Portraits Stories category.
Afghan Refugees Waiting to Cross the Iranian Border: An Afghan refugee comforts his companion while waiting for transport across the eastern border of Iran, on July 27. Nominated in the Contemporary Issues Singles category.
Afghan Refugees Waiting to Cross the Iranian Border: An Afghan refugee comforts his companion while waiting for transport across the eastern border of Iran, on July 27. UNHCR reports that Iran has almost one million registered refugees, the vast majority from Afghanistan. Nominated in the Contemporary Issues Singles category.
Crying for Freedom: A woman watches the AFC Cup match disguised as a young man.
In Iran, female fans are banned from entering football stadiums to watch the nation’s most popular sport. Nominated in the Sports Stories category.
Crying for Freedom: A woman watches the AFC Cup match disguised as a young man.
In Iran, female fans are banned from entering football stadiums to watch the nation’s most popular sport. Nominated in the Sports Stories category.