World Press Photo 2025 Winning Photos Shine a Light on Global Issues

Mar 27, 2025

Matt Growcoot

A group of people push a large metal structure in a street during a protest. Some wear face masks. Smoke and flames are visible in the background. A cityscape with buildings and signs surrounds them. — Protesters chant slogans and push a makeshift barricade as they clash with Kenyan police officers during an anti-government demonstration. Nairobi, Kenya, 2 July 2024. | Luis Tato for Agence France-Press

World Press Photo has announced the winners of its 2025 World Press Photo Contest, showcasing some of the world’s best photojournalism and documentary photography.

Split into six regions — Africa, Asia-Pacific and Oceania, Europe, North and Central America, South America, and West, Central, and South Asia — there are 42 total winners this year. Each region has three categories — Single, Story, and Long-Term Project. Three winners are selected from Single and Story with one winner from Long-Term Project.

World Press Photo prohibits the use of AI images in its contest — both generative fill and fully generated images. The competition says it has “a multilayered approach to spotting fake or manipulated images.” The original files are examined by “two independent digital analysts.”

Asia-Pacific and Oceania

A man and woman stand in an indoor setting, both wiping tears from their eyes. The room has a table with chairs, a wall clock, and closed cabinets. The atmosphere appears somber. — Nicole Motta (left) and her birth father Jang Dae-chang wipe away tears after an emotional reunion, some 40 years after they were separated. Seoul, 31 May 2024. | Jae C. Hong for Associated Press

A group of people wearing helmets sits in the back of a small, open truck on a rainy day. Nearby, motorcyclists ride past, and industrial smoke stacks emit smoke into the cloudy sky, indicating a nearby factory. — Workers ride towards a nickel smelting and processing plant, amid heavy rains that continued for two days, causing flooding. Weda, Halmahera, Indonesia, 12 August 2024. | Yudha Baskoro for China Global South Project

A monkey climbs on a woman's shoulder as she holds a long pole. A man watches from a nearby motorbike. The setting is an urban street with a gray, textured wall in the background. — A long-tailed macaque attacks a shop employee, opposite Phra Prang Sam Yot temple. Lopburi, Thailand, 3 February 2024. | Chalinee Thirasupa for Reuters

A person stands chest-deep in floodwater in front of partially submerged and damaged homes at night. The sky is dark with distant lightning illuminating clouds, creating a dramatic backdrop. Debris and makeshift structures surround the area. — A man wades through a street flooded by heavy rains from Typhoon Toraji. Ilagan City, Isabela, northern Philippines, 12 November 2024. | Noel Celis for the Associated Press

Silhouettes of people standing in a foggy graveyard at night, illuminated by bright light from behind. Two crosses are visible in the foreground, creating an eerie and dramatic scene. — 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. | Ye Aung Thu

Europe

A child lies on a bed with blue sheets featuring moons and stars. The room has pale, patterned wallpaper and a softly lit window with sheer curtains. Clothes are scattered on the bed and floor. — Anhelina (6), who is traumatized and suffers panic attacks after having to flee her village, lies in bed in her new home. Borshchivka, Ukraine, 7 March 2024. | Florian Bachmeier

A group of people in military attire surrounds and assists a person lying on a table in a dimly lit, cavernous room. Medical supplies are visible, and an IV drip hangs nearby. A Christmas tree can be seen in the background. — A soldier injured near the city of Bakhmut, lies in a field hospital set up in an underground winery. His left leg and arm were later amputated. Donbas, Ukraine, 22 January 2024. | Nanna Heitmann / Magnum Photos for The New York Times

North and Central Europe

A man wearing a white shirt and red tie is helped by several individuals in suits as he steps down from a platform at an outdoor event. An audience is visible in the background, along with American flags. — 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. | Jabin Botsford for The Washington Post

Black and white image of a girl sitting on a roadside near a small cart with a cash box and cups. A van with "What's in your air?" is on the street, and there are road signs and houses in the background. — LaBrea Letson (8) sells lemonade made with bottled water outside her grandmother’s home near the derailment site. A van passing by tests the air for hazardous chemicals. East Palestine, Ohio, United States, 18 August 2023. | Rebecca Kiger / Center for Contemporary Documentation for TIME

South America

A white cargo plane lies partially submerged in a calm, reflective body of water. The reflection of the plane and scattered clouds is visible on the water's surface, creating a serene and surreal visual. — A stranded Boeing 727-200 surrounded by floodwaters at Salgado Filho International Airport. Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, 20 May 2024. | Anselmo Cunha / Agence France-Presse

A woman stands on a car surrounded by a crowd at night. She has her hands crossed over her chest. People reach towards her while holding Venezuelan flags and smartphones, capturing the scene. The atmosphere is energetic and celebratory. — Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado greets supporters from atop a vehicle during a campaign rally for the opposition presidential candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia. Mérida, Venezuela, 25 June 2024. | Gabriela Oráa for Reuters

A group of men walk through a dense, dark jungle at night. One man carries another person on his back while others follow closely. The scene is dimly lit, highlighting the lush green foliage around them. — Rubén Guaynora, a local indigenous man, carries Kimberly Rodriguez, a Venezuelan who fainted several times while crossing the Darién Gap. He will help her onto a canoe that will transport her to Bajo Chiquito, where she may receive medical attention. Darién Gap, Panama, 21 September 2024. | Frederico Ríos

Africa

A man with a prosthetic leg stands flexing his back muscles in front of a red backdrop. He's wearing patterned shorts and sneakers. Clothes hang on a line against a textured wall with a large blue drum beside him. — Bodybuilder Tamale Safalu trains in front of his home. Kampala, Uganda, 25 January 2024. Despite losing his leg after a terrible motorcycle accident in 2020, Safalu remained committed to competitive bodybuilding, becoming the first disabled athlete in Uganda to compete against able-bodied athletes. | Marijn Fidder

A man in a light gray suit sits on a chair against a large, ornate red wall hanging. He holds a book and is looking down at it. A rifle is leaning against the chair on his right side. The setting is outdoors with a rustic floor. — The groom poses for a portrait at his wedding. In Sudan, announcing a wedding with celebratory gunfire is a tradition. Omdurman, Sudan, 12 January 2024. This photo was taken with a mobile phone camera. | Mosab Abushama

A protestor stands defiantly with fists raised as a pink liquid spray from a water cannon hits the street. A crowd of demonstrators is blurred in the background, and the scene takes place on a wet city street. — A protestor raises a fist in defiance as Kenyan police officers use a water cannon to disperse the gathering. Pink dye in the water is often used by police at protests to mark individuals for identification. Nairobi, Kenya, 20 June 2024. | Luis Tato for Agence France-Presse

A group of people, some in civilian clothes and others in military gear, are kneeling and holding rifles in an outdoor urban setting. They appear alert and are facing the same direction with buildings and grass in the background. — 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. | Luis Tato for Agence France-Presse

West, Central, and South Asia

People glance anxiously upwards during an Israeli drone strike, as they take refuge away from buildings in Beirut’s Dahiyeh neighborhood. Jets and drones often fly at low altitudes, causing fear and distress. Lebanon, 29 September 2024. | Murat Şengül for Anadolu Agency

A group of people, including children, walk along a rubble-strewn street in a severely damaged urban area. Buildings on either side are partially collapsed. A white car is parked on the right. The scene conveys devastation and destruction. — Residents return to their homes in Khan Younis after an Israeli withdrawal on 7 April. In July and August, Israel would launch two more ground incursions into the southern city. Gaza, 9 April 2024. | Ali Jadallah for Anadolu Agency

People on a street stand and watch as an explosion sends sparks and smoke into the air. Surrounding buildings and power lines are visible, with a dim sky above suggesting early evening or dawn. — 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. | Ali Jadallah for Anadolu Agency

A crowd gathers around a large statue of a man in a suit. People climb the statue and stand on adjacent walls, raising flags and cheering. The scene is energetic and filled with excitement, set against a cloudy sky. — People vandalize a statue of former Bangladesh president, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who had resigned following weeks of unrest. Dhaka, Bangladesh, 5 August 2024. | Suvra Kanti Das for The Daily Prothom Alo

The World Press Photo of the Year will be announced on April 17 along with two runners up.

All of the photos above will be part of a traveling exhibition visiting over 60 locations around the world. It will be at the MPB Gallery in London from May 23.

Update 3/28: Updated with London exhibit info.