World Press Photo today announces the winners of the 2025 World Press Photo Contest, showcasing a selection of the world’s best photojournalism and documentary photography. 

Gathered from across 2024’s fast changing political and media landscape, the photos invite viewers to step outside the news cycle, and look more deeply at both prominent and less seen stories from across the world as well as look again at familiar events. These works show the power of authentic photojournalism and documentary photography – offering space for reflection in times of urgency through visual excellence and dedication to accuracy.

On 17 April 2025 at 11:00am CEST (Amsterdam), the 2025 World Press Photo of the Year winner and two finalists, will be announced at the press opening of the Flagship World Press Photo Exhibition 2025 at De Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and online simultaneously to media across the globe. Every winning photographer is eligible for the Photo of the Year award.  

This year, there will be more winning projects and photographers,  growing from 33 total winners in 2024 to 42 this year. For the past three years, there has been one winning Single and one winning Story per region. Beginning in 2025, there will be three winners in each of these categories per region. There will also continue to be one Long-Term Project winner per region. 

Key themes this year range from politics, and gender, and migration, to conflict, and the climate crisis. Images of protests and uprisings in Kenya, Myanmar, Haiti, El Salvador and Georgia, sit alongside unexpected portraits of those in political power in the USA and Germany. Meanwhile, the world is seen in the selection from the perspectives of a range of people – for example, the young; a 21 year old transgender man in the Netherlands, a Palestinian child coping with amputation after injury in Gaza, a young Ukrainian girl traumatised by war, and a contemplative young man on his wedding day in Sudan. Tamale Safale, the first disabled athlete ever in Uganda to compete against able bodied athletes is featured. This year, again, images captured in some of the world’s current conflicts are included, such as from Lebanon and Palestine. The delicate and often fraught relationship between humans and animals is viewed via differing types of interactions with elephants in Zambia and monkeys in Thailand. The impact of the climate crisis is shown in works looking in depth at disasters, from Peru to Brazil to the Philippines. Elsewhere, a celebration of Pride is held at a secret location in Lagos, Nigeria, where members of the LGBTQI+ community can face legal prosecution. 

The 2025 Contest also takes place as part of the 70th anniversary celebrations for World Press Photo – providing an opportunity to view these stories in a historical perspective. The contest is increasingly globally representative in recent years thanks to our regional contest model. This year, 30 out of 42 winners were also local to the country where they photographed their project.     

Executive Director World Press Photo, Joumana El Zein Khoury said:

The world is not the same as it was in 1955 when World Press Photo was founded. 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.

The awarded stories will be shown to millions as part of the World Press Photo annual traveling exhibition in over 60 locations around the world. Millions more will see the winning stories online. 

The awarded stories will be shown to millions worldwide as part of World Press Photo’s annual traveling exhibition in over 60 locations around the world – including the world premiere exhibition in Amsterdam at De Nieuwe Kerk (18 April – 21 September); followed by London (23 May – 25 August); and Rome (6 May – 8 June), Berlin (6 June – 29 June); Vienna (12 September – 9 November); Budapest (10 September – 9 November); Mexico City (18 July – 28 September); Rio de Janeiro (27 May – 20 July); Montreal (27 August – 11 October); Jakarta (12 September – 11 October) and Sydney (24 May – 6 July).

World Press Photo prohibits the use of AI images in its contest – both generative fill and fully generated images. A multilayered approach to spotting fake or manipulated images is used. We verify the professionality of all entrants, and the facts behind each story. The images are judged by industry professionals, and the original files are examined by two independent digital analysts.

Details about the contest and judging process are available on the World Press Photo website, including information about: Prizes, categories, jury, and judging process.

---

About the World Press Photo Foundation

World Press Photo is an independent non-profit organization that champions the power of photojournalism and documentary photography to deepen understanding, promote dialog, and inspire action. 

Founded in the Netherlands in 1955, our annual and thematic exhibitions reach millions of people in over 80 locations world-wide each year, and our online work reaches millions more. We create space for reflection in times of urgency, while upholding standards of accuracy, authenticity, visual excellence, and diverse perspectives. Our education programs help photographers reach these standards, and members of the public recognize them.

We are thankful for the support of our funders, particularly our strategic partners the Dutch Postcode Lottery, PwC, and FUJIFILM Corporation.