Amsterdam: The World Press Photo Foundation announced the winners of its annual awards during a ceremony held Thursday at its headquarters in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
According to Qatar News Agency, leading the 2025 awards is a photograph of a nine-year-old Palestinian boy, Mahmoud Ajjour, whose arms were amputated following the Israeli aggression on Gaza. The image, captured by Samar Abu Elouf, the first Palestinian photographer to win this prestigious award, shows Mahmoud evacuated to Doha after an explosion last year that caused severe injuries.
The jury praised the photograph for its composition and use of light, as well as its subject that raises questions about Mahmoud’s future.
Two photographs shared second place: “Droughts in the Amazon” by Musuk Nolte, depicting a man carrying supplies through a dry riverbed to a village accessible only by boat, and “Night Crossing” by John Moore, showing Chinese migrants huddled around a fire amidst cold, rainy weather after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.
The jury reviewed 59,320 entries from 3,778 photojournalists to select 42 winning images from around the globe.
Other notable winners include: Luis Tato (Nairobi, Kenya) in the “Events” category for Africa, capturing images of Kenyan youth uprisings, Jerome Brouillet in the “Singles” category for Asia-Pacific and Oceania, showcasing surfer Gabriel Medina floating above the waves, Clarens Siffroy in the “Events” category for North and Central America, documenting Haiti’s gang crisis, and Anselmo Cunha in the “Singles” category for South America, capturing a Boeing 727-200 stranded at Brazil’s Salgado Filho International Airport.