• World Press Photo of the Year. Samuel Aranda, People in the News, 1st prize singles: A woman holds her wounded son in her arms, inside a mosque used as a field hospital during clashes in Sanaa, Yemen.
    World Press Photo of the Year. Samuel Aranda, People in the News, 1st prize singles: A woman holds her wounded son in her arms, inside a mosque used as a field hospital during clashes in Sanaa, Yemen.
  • Koichiro Tezuka, Spot News, 1st prize stories: The Fury of the Tsunami: A powerful tsunami surges toward the Japanese coastline, swallowing business and residential areas in Natori City, Miyagi prefecture.
    Koichiro Tezuka, Spot News, 1st prize stories: The Fury of the Tsunami: A powerful tsunami surges toward the Japanese coastline, swallowing business and residential areas in Natori City, Miyagi prefecture.
  • Donald Weber, Portraits, 1st prize stories: Interrogation Room: Inside interrogation rooms, Ukraine.
    Donald Weber, Portraits, 1st prize stories: Interrogation Room: Inside interrogation rooms, Ukraine.
  • Alejandro Kirchuk, Daily Life, 1st prize stories: Marcos, 89, and Monica, 87, have been married and living in their apartment in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for 65 years. In 2007, Monica was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Since that moment, her husband devoted all his time to take care of her.
    Alejandro Kirchuk, Daily Life, 1st prize stories: Marcos, 89, and Monica, 87, have been married and living in their apartment in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for 65 years. In 2007, Monica was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Since that moment, her husband devoted all his time to take care of her.
  • Alexander Taran, Sports, 1st prize stories. Strelka: In the amateur street fighting tournament known as Strelka in Russia, fighters compete on sand with no time limit, breaks or rounds, and the fight only stops with a knockout or a fighter’s surrender.
    Alexander Taran, Sports, 1st prize stories. Strelka: In the amateur street fighting tournament known as Strelka in Russia, fighters compete on sand with no time limit, breaks or rounds, and the fight only stops with a knockout or a fighter’s surrender.
  • Alex Majoli, General News, 1st prize singles. Mubarek Steps Down: Protesters cry, chant and scream in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, after listening to the speech in which Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said he would not give up power.
    Alex Majoli, General News, 1st prize singles. Mubarek Steps Down: Protesters cry, chant and scream in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, after listening to the speech in which Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said he would not give up power.
  • Brent Stirton, Nature, 1st prize stories. Rhino Wars: Rhino horn is now worth more than gold on the international market. South Africa alone has lost more than 400 rhino to illegal poaching incidents in 2011.
    Brent Stirton, Nature, 1st prize stories. Rhino Wars: Rhino horn is now worth more than gold on the international market. South Africa alone has lost more than 400 rhino to illegal poaching incidents in 2011.
  • Brent Stirton, Contemporary Issues, 1st prize singles: Maria, a drug addict and sex worker, in between clients in a room she rents in Kryvyi Rig, Ukrain
    Brent Stirton, Contemporary Issues, 1st prize singles: Maria, a drug addict and sex worker, in between clients in a room she rents in Kryvyi Rig, Ukrain
  • Damir Sagolj, Daily Life, 1st prize singles. North Korea: A picture of North Korea's founder, Kim Il-sung, decorates a building in the capital Pyongyang.
    Damir Sagolj, Daily Life, 1st prize singles. North Korea: A picture of North Korea's founder, Kim Il-sung, decorates a building in the capital Pyongyang.
  • Donald Miralle, Jr, Sports, 1st prize singles: Ironman World Championships: Triathletes swim over a school of fish at the start of the 2011 Ford Ironman World Championship.
    Donald Miralle, Jr, Sports, 1st prize singles: Ironman World Championships: Triathletes swim over a school of fish at the start of the 2011 Ford Ironman World Championship.
  • Jenny E. Ross, Nature, 1st prize singles: Cliff-climbing Polar Bear Atempting to Eat Seabird Eggs: A male polar bear climbs precariously on the face of a cliff above the ocean at Ostrova Oranskie in northern Novaya Zemlya, attempting to feed on seabird eggs.
    Jenny E. Ross, Nature, 1st prize singles: Cliff-climbing Polar Bear Atempting to Eat Seabird Eggs: A male polar bear climbs precariously on the face of a cliff above the ocean at Ostrova Oranskie in northern Novaya Zemlya, attempting to feed on seabird eggs.
  • Laerke Posselt, Portraits, 1st prize singles. Danish and Iranian Culture: The 27-year-old Iranian-born actress Mellica Mehraban grew up in Denmark, but debuted as an actor in Iran in 2011.
    Laerke Posselt, Portraits, 1st prize singles. Danish and Iranian Culture: The 27-year-old Iranian-born actress Mellica Mehraban grew up in Denmark, but debuted as an actor in Iran in 2011.
  • Rémi Ochlik, General News, 1st prize stories. Battle for Libya: An opposition fighter rest under a rebellion flag in the middle of the battlefield oil town Ras Lanouf in Libya.
    Rémi Ochlik, General News, 1st prize stories. Battle for Libya: An opposition fighter rest under a rebellion flag in the middle of the battlefield oil town Ras Lanouf in Libya.
  • Rob Hornstra, Arts and Entertainment, 1st prize stories: The Russian city of Sochi lies on the Black Sea and attracts predominantly Russian holidaymakers. Every restaurant employs a regular live musician blasting popular Russian songs.
    Rob Hornstra, Arts and Entertainment, 1st prize stories: The Russian city of Sochi lies on the Black Sea and attracts predominantly Russian holidaymakers. Every restaurant employs a regular live musician blasting popular Russian songs.
  • Yuri Kozyrev, Spot News, 1st prize singles. On Revolution Road: For weeks, rebels held out against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi with the hope that the world would come to their aid.
    Yuri Kozyrev, Spot News, 1st prize singles. On Revolution Road: For weeks, rebels held out against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi with the hope that the world would come to their aid.
  • Stephanie Sinclair, Contemporary Issues, 1st prize stories. Child Brides: Child marriage is outlawed in many countries and international agreements forbid the practice yet this tradition still spans continents, language and religion.
    Stephanie Sinclair, Contemporary Issues, 1st prize stories. Child Brides: Child marriage is outlawed in many countries and international agreements forbid the practice yet this tradition still spans continents, language and religion.
  • Yasuyoshi Chiba, People in the News, 1st prize stories. Tsunami: Aftermath of the tsunami, Japan, March - April.
    Yasuyoshi Chiba, People in the News, 1st prize stories. Tsunami: Aftermath of the tsunami, Japan, March - April.
  • David Goldman, Arts and Entertainment, 1st prize singles. Afganistan: Canadian Forces soldier Cpl. Ben Vandandaigue plays the drums on Forward Operating Base Sperwan Ghar in Afghanistan.
    David Goldman, Arts and Entertainment, 1st prize singles. Afganistan: Canadian Forces soldier Cpl. Ben Vandandaigue plays the drums on Forward Operating Base Sperwan Ghar in Afghanistan.
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Spanish photographer Samuel Aranda has won the top prize in the 2012 World Press Photo Awards with an image of a Yemeni mother holding her wounded son during the Arab Spring uprisings.

"It is a photo that speaks for the entire region. It stands for Yemen, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Syria, for all that happened in the Arab Spring. But it shows a private, intimate side of what went on. And it shows the role that women played, not only as care-givers, but as active people in the movement," said World Press Photo jury member Koyo Kouoh.

Aranda was born in 1979 and began working as a photojournalist for El Pais and El Periodico de Catalunya at the age of 19. A few years later, he traveled to the Middle East to cover the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for the Spanish agency EFE. In 2004, he joined Agence France-Presse, covering multiple conflicts and social issues in Spain, Pakistan, Gaza, Lebanon, Iraq, Palestinian Territories, Morocco and Western Sahara. He was working in Yemen on assignment for The New York Times and is represented by Corbis Images.

Now in its 55th year, the annual World Press Photo contest draws entries by professional press photographers, photojournalists and documentary photographers from around the world, with 5,247 photographers from 124 countries participating this year with 101,254 pictures submitted by the mid-January deadline.




Samuel ArandaSamuel Aranda. World Press Photo of the Year. Samuel Aranda, People in the News, 1st prize singles: A woman holds her wounded son in her arms, inside a mosque used as a field hospital during clashes in Sanaa, Yemen.


Yuri Kozyrev
Yuri Kozyrev, Spot News, 1st prize singles. On Revolution Road: For weeks, rebels held out against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi with the hope that the world would come to their aid.


Rémi Ochlik
Rémi Ochlik, General News, 1st prize stories. Battle for Libya: An opposition fighter rest under a rebellion flag in the middle of the battlefield oil town Ras Lanouf in Libya.


Alex Majoli
Alex Majoli, General News, 1st prize singles. Mubarek Steps Down: Protesters cry, chant and scream in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, after listening to the speech in which Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said he would not give up power.


David Goldman
David Goldman, Arts and Entertainment, 1st prize singles. Afganistan: Canadian Forces soldier Cpl. Ben Vandandaigue plays the drums on Forward Operating Base Sperwan Ghar in Afghanistan.


Damir Sagolj
Damir Sagolj, Daily Life, 1st prize singles. North Korea: A picture of North Korea's founder, Kim Il-sung, decorates a building in the capital Pyongyang.


Koichiro Tezuka
Koichiro Tezuka, Spot News, 1st prize stories: The Fury of the Tsunami: A powerful tsunami surges toward the Japanese coastline, swallowing business and residential areas in Natori City, Miyagi prefecture.


Yasuyoshi Chiba
Yasuyoshi Chiba, People in the News, 1st prize stories. Tsunami: Aftermath of the tsunami, Japan, March - April.


Laerke Posselt
Laerke Posselt, Portraits, 1st prize singles. Danish and Iranian Culture: The 27-year-old Iranian-born actress Mellica Mehraban grew up in Denmark, but debuted as an actor in Iran in 2011.


Brent Stirton
Brent Stirton, Contemporary Issues, 1st prize singles: Maria, a drug addict and sex worker, in between clients in a room she rents in Kryvyi Rig, Ukraine.


Donald Weber
Donald Weber, Portraits, 1st prize stories: Interrogation Room: Inside interrogation rooms, Ukraine.


Stephanie Sinclair
Stephanie Sinclair, Contemporary Issues, 1st prize stories. Child Brides: Child marriage is outlawed in many countries and international agreements forbid the practice yet this tradition still spans continents, language and religion.


Alejandro Kirchuk
Alejandro Kirchuk, Daily Life, 1st prize stories: Marcos, 89, and Monica, 87, have been married and living in their apartment in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for 65 years. In 2007, Monica was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Since that moment, her husband devoted all his time to take care of her.


Rob Hornstra
(Rob Hornstra, Arts and Entertainment, 1st prize stories: The Russian city of Sochi lies on the Black Sea and attracts predominantly Russian holidaymakers. Every restaurant employs a regular live musician blasting popular Russian songs.


Jenny E. Ross
Jenny E. Ross, Nature, 1st prize singles: Cliff-climbing Polar Bear Atempting to Eat Seabird Eggs: A male polar bear climbs precariously on the face of a cliff above the ocean at Ostrova Oranskie in northern Novaya Zemlya, attempting to feed on seabird eggs.


Brent Stirton
Brent Stirton, Nature, 1st prize stories. Rhino Wars: Rhino horn is now worth more than gold on the international market. South Africa alone has lost more than 400 rhino to illegal poaching incidents in 2011.


Alexander Taran
Alexander Taran, Sports, 1st prize stories. Strelka: In the amateur street fighting tournament known as Strelka in Russia, fighters compete on sand with no time limit, breaks or rounds, and the fight only stops with a knockout or a fighter’s surrender.


Donald Miralle, Jr
Donald Miralle, Jr, Sports, 1st prize singles: Ironman World Championships: Triathletes swim over a school of fish at the start of the 2011 Ford Ironman World Championship.

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