These images are uncomfortable to look at. But that's the point. Meet the winning World Press Photos
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.
War. A climate crisis. An attempted assassination. An Olympic athlete. A child in shock. These are just some of the moments represented in the winning images from the 2025 World Press Photo Contest. And yet, despite the wide range of topics covered, despite representing 42 photographers from 30 different countries, the winning images all somehow feel connected.
On March 27, the judges and contest organizers unveiled the 2025 World Press Photo Contest Winners. But while the contest highlights photojournalists and documentary photographers across the globe in some of 2024's most newsworthy moments, the winning images all feel as if they are connected by a common theme, representing a human connection that can be portrayed across language and cultural barriers.
'I think if we look at the winning images collectively rather than as individual images, what we see is that many of them are interconnected and overlapping,' said Finbarr O'Reilly, a photographer and judge for the Europe region and global portion of the contest. 'I think in any picture and as the regional jury and then as the global jury, what you want to feel is human connection, a strong human connection to any image.'
The collection of 42 winning projects includes images that represent some of the biggest moments of 2024. A photo by Washington Post photographer Jabin Botsford of Donald Trump being rushed off stage after an attempted assassination. A viral photograph of a surfer floating in midair with his board during the 2024 Paris Olympics Games by Jerome Brouillet. A protester clearing tear gas from her eyes by Mikhail Tereschenko. A photo of an aircraft surrounded by blue sky and clouds not because it's soaring through the sky but because it is sitting on a completely flooded tarmac reflecting the sky in Brazil by Anselmo Cunha. An image of a child after a double amputation by Samar Abu Elouf.
The images, judges say, are the sort of historic photographs that make viewers stop scrolling. 'The world is not the same as it was in 1955 when World Press Photo was founded,' said Joumana El Zein Khoury, the Executive Director for World Press Photo. 'We live in a time when it is easier than ever to look away, to scroll past, to disengage. But these images do not let us do that. They cut through the noise, forcing us to acknowledge what is unfolding, even when it is uncomfortable, even when it makes us question the world we live in - and our own role within it.'
This year's event is the contest's 70th year and includes a handful of changes from previous contests. Judges recognized three winners in each category for each region whereas the previous three years only recongized one. Those categories include singles, stories, and long-term projects.
While 2025's 42 winning photographers – 30 of whom took photos in the country where they live – have been announced, the organization will announce a single photograph as the World Press Photo of the Year and two finalists on April 17. The following day, the collection of winning images will embark on a worldwide gallery tour.
Browse through some of the winning images from the contest below or view additional images at the World Press Photo website.
Image 1 of 7
Image 2 of 7
Image 3 of 7
Image 4 of 7
Image 5 of 7
Image 6 of 7
Image 7 of 7
Image 1 of 6
Image 2 of 6
Image 3 of 6
Image 4 of 6
Image 5 of 6
Image 6 of 6
Image 1 of 6
Image 2 of 6
Image 3 of 6
Image 4 of 6
Image 5 of 6
Image 6 of 6
Image 1 of 6
Image 2 of 6
Image 3 of 6
Image 4 of 6
Image 5 of 6
Image 6 of 6
Image 1 of 7
Image 2 of 7
Image 3 of 7
Image 4 of 7
Image 5 of 7
Image 6 of 7
Image 7 of 7
Image 1 of 7
Image 2 of 7
Image 3 of 7
Image 4 of 7
Image 5 of 7
Image 6 of 7
Image 7 of 7
Browse the best photography awards and contests for more inspiration, or take a look at the best professional cameras.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
LPGA Hall of Famer calls for more to speak out against trans athletes in girls sports
LPGA Hall of Famer calls for more to speak out against trans athletes in girls sports Betsy King grew up on 30 acres of land in Reading, Pennsylvania, where she honed a golf swing that would eventually land her in the LPGA and World Golf halls of fame. But golf wasn't her only passion. When older brother Lee left the house, mom often said, 'Take your sister.' And that's how King wound up playing baseball, basketball, hockey and, in elementary school, and tackle football with the neighborhood boys. Those memories come flooding back when King, a six-time major winner, sees biological males competing against females across the country. 'You know, when I was playing with the boys,' said King, 'I mean, it definitely helped my competitiveness to play then against other girls. But I was just trying to play well enough that that they would let me play. Obviously, even at that age, there was a physical difference.' Last week, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles made headlines when she called NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines a 'bully' and 'sore loser' for her criticism of biological boys competing in women's sports – in this particular instance, a high school state championship. Four days later, Biles apologized for her comments. 'In my mind, all I could think about is if a transgender woman started competing in what she (Biles) does, I think they could dominate,' said King, 'without a doubt.' Last December, the LPGA and U.S. Golf Association announced changes to their transgender policies that prohibit athletes who have experienced male puberty from competing in women's events. The move came as transgender golfer Hailey Davidson earned status on the LPGA's developmental Epson Tour. Sources say only a handful of LPGA players were in favor of allowing transgender athletes to compete. Even so, for King, the fight is far from over. Now she'd like to see a federal law put into place that would restrict the participation of biological males in female sports. In February, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that called on the government to "rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities." But that hasn't kept it from happening at high school competitions across the country. President Trump said last week that California would face large-scale fines after a transgender athlete won two medals in the state's track and field championship. 'I just feel badly for the high school girls that have to face it,' said King. 'You know, I've seen a couple of them on TV talking about it. And it really bothers me that the adults haven't stood up for these girls as much as they should.' As for the LPGA's new policy, King would like to see the tour return to a female-at-birth mandate, calling the trend of childhood transitions frightening. "I don't know that at 7 years old, if you really know what you are, who you are, or know what you want to do, to make a decision that will impact you the rest of your life," said King. "We don't listen to many 7-year-olds about a lot of things, right? That you would decide to listen to them about this is kind of frightening." A New York Times/Ipsos survey released in January 2025 found that 79 percent of Americans polled were against allowing biological males who identify as women to participate in women's sports. And yet, so few Hall of Fame-caliber female athletes have come out publicly against it. King, 69, posts frequently about the topic on social media and was especially disheartened recently when, during a floor debate on the Save Women's Sports Act, Pennsylvania state senator Lindsey Williams said, 'I want all girls to know that there are elected officials like me who believe female bodies are just as strong and fast and capable as male bodies.' King said she found Williams' comments to be ridiculous and went searching to confirm they weren't a parody. Five years ago, tennis icon Billie Jean King joined World Cup champion Megan Rapinoe, the WNBA's Candace Parker and nearly 200 athletes in supporting transgender youth participation in sports as part of a response to Idaho legislation that banned trans girls from competing in schools. 'There is no place in any sport for discrimination of any kind,' Billie Jean King said in a Women's Sports Foundation release. 'I'm proud to support all transgender athletes who simply want the access and opportunity to compete in the sport they love. The global athletic community grows stronger when we welcome and champion all athletes – including LGBTQI+ athletes.' Another tennis icon, Martina Navratilova, however, sees it differently than Billie Jean and has been vocal about the subject for years. She's one of the few decorated female athletes to do so. Growing up, Betsy King didn't have the same opportunities as her brother to play organized sports. As a three-sport athlete at Furman, King recalled going to the president's office each year with other female athletes to ask for more money. Female athletes stood up more back then, she noted, out of necessity. Some in King's circle and beyond have commented that there are more pressing issues currently facing the country. Her response: It's possible to be concerned about more than one subject. For example, in September, she'll head back to Africa for the umpteenth time (26th or 27th, she's not sure) to check in on some schools her Arizona church funds in Tanzania. After winning 34 times on the LPGA, King launched her Golf Fore Africa foundation in 2007 and raised roughly $20 million for World Vision, enough to fund 400 wells, at least 50 mechanized water systems and eight maternity wings for local hospitals. Though her work with the foundation has come to an end, she's finding more ways to use her platform. 'You know, I have nothing to lose,' said King on the divisive gender topic. 'I don't have any sponsorships at this stage. I've always been kind of outspoken and strong about values that I think even if I were playing, I would speak up.' Her mother, Helen Szymkowicz King, graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 1940 and was elected into the university's Athletic Hall of Fame as a three-sport athlete. King looks at how much the landscape has changed for women's sports in recent decades and views the transgender debate as a step backward. 'Many of us fought for places to compete when none existed,' King said. 'We cannot surrender our sports or our spaces.' Put another way by one of golf's most decorated American players: It's simply not fair.


CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
The Washington Post has a new Opinion editor four months after Bezos touted ‘significant shift'
The Washington Post on Wednesday announced it has a new Opinion editor. The move comes four months after it announced a 'significant shift' to the Opinion page and the departure of its embattled section chief. Adam O'Neal, who currently serves as The Economist's Washington correspondent, will take over as the Post's top Opinion editor, the outlet announced in an X post that includes an introductory video from O'Neal. 'We're also going to be stalwart advocates of free markets and personal liberties. We'll be unapologetically patriotic, too,' O'Neal said in the video. 'Our philosophy will be rooted in fundamental optimism about the future of this country.' The Opinion section won't 'lecture' readers about ideologies or 'demand you think certain ways about policy,' O'Neal said. The stance falls in line with the vision articulated four months prior by the Post's owner, billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Bezos also mentioned free markets and personal liberties when describing the section's new mandate, which drew backlash from some staffers — including from Marty Baron, the Post's revered former executive editor under whom the outlet won 11 Pulitzer Prizes — and praise from some conservatives. 'We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of two pillars: personal liberties and free markets,' Bezos wrote in a February X post. 'We'll cover other topics too of course, but viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others.' As part of the February announcement, Bezos noted that David Shipley, O'Neal's predecessor, had been offered the opportunity to continue leading the section under the new directive but that Shipley had 'decided to step away.' Shipley's departure from the Post followed four months of mounting criticism from Post staffers and readers. The storied newspaper drew criticism for its eleventh-hour choice not to endorse then-Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential bid, which led to several editorial board members resigning and more than 200,000 subscribers canceling their digital subscriptions. Shipley also decided not to run a cartoon satirizing the relationship between Bezos and US President Donald Trump from Ann Telnaes, leading to the Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist's resignation. Get Reliable Sources newsletter Sign up here to receive Reliable Sources with Brian Stelter in your inbox. Since Shipley's departure, deputy Opinion editor Mary Duenwald has served as interim section chief. No start date has been announced for O'Neal. In a Wednesday email to staffers obtained by CNN, Will Lewis, the Post's chief executive and publisher, noted that O'Neal 'recognizes the importance of ensuring our opinion coverage is relevant, accessible, and consequential for readers who feel underserved.' 'His appointment is about more than just filling a role; it is about connecting our editorial voice to the real concerns and conversations happening across America,' Lewis said. In the email, Lewis similarly championed Bezos' mandate for the Opinion section: He said its new direction is not 'aligned to any political party' but instead presents 'an opportunity for our Opinion section to share the best of American values.' O'Neal's hiring comes just over two weeks after the Post offered voluntary buyouts to Opinion staffers, the Post's video and copy desks and any news employees who have been at the paper for 10 years or more. The buyout offers run through the end of July.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Tulsi Gabbard says she used AI to decide which JFK assassination files to release
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on Tuesday that her office used artificial intelligence to help decide which files should be declassified in the government's investigation into the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Gabbard attested to the use of AI and machine learning in her office while speaking at an Amazon Web Services conference, saying it's helped specifically with declassification. 'We have released thousands, tens of thousands of documents related to the assassinations of JFK and Senator Robert F. Kennedy. And we have been able to do that through the use of AI tools far more quickly than what was done previously, which is to have humans go through and look at every single one of these pages,' Gabbard said. Gabbard said the AI tool can look for information such as anything that may be 'sensitive for living family members,' which speeds up an otherwise lengthy process. As part of President Donald Trump's promise to release previously classified documents in cases of public interest, in March, the administration released more than 1,100 files part of the government's investigation into the 1963 assassination of JFK. However, some of those files were released without necessary redactions to shield private information, such as Social Security numbers, birth dates, and birthplaces, belonging to former congressional staffers and others who are still living. Shortly after the Washington Post reported the revelation, the White House quickly implemented a plan to assist those whose personal information was disclosed, including issuing them new Social Security numbers and free credit monitoring. But Gabbard's admission that her Director's Initiatives Group, a task force she created to 'restore transparency and accountability' in the intelligence community, used AI for the declassification process raises some questions about it's effectiveness in detecting 'sensitive' information. It's unclear how much of a role the AI may have had in the recent JFK assassination declassification. The Independent has asked the Director of National Intelligence's office for comment. AI tools are becoming increasingly more common in workplaces, including the federal government, to streamline processes and improve efficiency. The Securities and Exchange Commission and Federal Trade Commission use AI to detect fraud or other financial misconduct by analyzing large datasets, the National Conference of State Legislatures said. Immigration and Customs Enforcement also uses AI to verify, validate, correct, and normalize addresses, phone numbers, names, and ID numbers across datasets, the Department of Homeland Security said last year. '10,000 hours of media content, for example, that normally would take eight people, 48 hours to comb through, now takes one person one hour through the use of some of the AI tools that we have here,' Gabbard said.