An unprecedented year marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, social justice protests, climate emergency, and territorial conflicts, was brought to life for millions by photographers around the globe.
Selecting their most impactful work, The World Press Photo Contest picked this year’s nominees for best pictures in eight categories.
The jury looked through almost 75 thousand pictures from over 4,000 photographers that applied, to select 45 professionals from 28 different countries.
“I think what stood out the most was the variety of approaches to visual storytelling. […] Some entries stood out because their visual language was really sophisticated, which is a very exciting change from the classic press photography tradition,” said Rodrigo Orrantia, curator, and 2021 jury member, of this year’s entries.
Six nominees for World Press Photo of the Year
Lincoln Emancipation Memorial Debate by Evelyn Hockstein, United States
Leaving Home in Nagorno-Karabakh by Valery Melnikov, Russia
The First Embrace by Mads Nissen, Denmark
The Transition: Ignat by Oleg Ponomarev, Russia
Fighting Locust Invasion in East Africa by Luis Tato, Spain
Injured Man After Port Explosion in Beirut by Lorenzo Tugnoli, Italy
3 nominees for World Press Photo Story of the Year
Those Who Stay Will Be Champions by Chris Donovan, Canada
The Flint Jaguars basketball team in Flint, Michigan, USA, embodies efforts to nurture stability, encourage mutual support and strengthen community spirit in a city struggling to survive.
A basketball net supported by cinder blocks stands beside a street in Flint. The board reads ‘FDT’, an acronym based on a popular anti-Donald Trump protest song. February 25
Chris Donovan, Canada
Jaguars junior Dion Brown sits with his girlfriend Lakenya Thomas as they watch a junior varsity game in a nearly empty gym. 24 February 2020
Chris Donovan, Canada
Jaguars player D’Angelo Mays plays with a basketball in his bedroom at home. February 27, 2020
Chris Donovan, Canada
Flint Jaguars team star Taevion Rushing jumps from one locker to another in the team locker room before the last regular season game of his high school basketball career
Chris Donovan, Canada
Habibi by Antonio Faccilongo, Italy, for Getty
Nearly 4,200 Palestinian security detainees are being held in Israeli prisons, according to a February 2021 report by human rights organization B’Tselem. Some face sentences of 20 years or more.
Nael al-Barghouthi’s suit remains hanging in his bedroom in Kobar, near Ramallah. He has spent more than 40 years in prison, the longest-serving Palestinian inmate in Israel
Antonio Faccilongo/Getty
Lydia Rimawi lies on her sofa in Beit Rima, her husband Abdul Karim Rimawi was sentenced to 25 years in prison for involvement in the assassination of Israeli tourism minister
Antonio Faccilongo/ Getty
Wives, mothers, and children of Palestinian prisoners reach a checkpoint in Beit Seira, Palestine, on 26 November 2017
Antonio Faccilongo for Getty
A baby born a few hours earlier lies inside an incubator at Al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza
Antonio Faccilongo for Getty
Amma Elian, whose husband has been serving a life-sentence since 2003, sits with twins born following IVF, in Tulkarm, Palestine
Antonio Faccilongo for Getty
A portrait of Mazen Rimawi, a former Palestinian political prisoner and uncle to Majd Rimawi, whose father is serving a 25-year sentence
Antonio Faccilongo for Getty
Lydia Rimawi travels with her son Majd to visit her husband in prison. She leaves home at 5am and has to take three different buses and pass through a checkpoint to reach it.
Antonio Faccilongo for Getty
Paradise Lost by Valery Melnikov, Russia, Sputnik
A rocket remaining after the shelling of the city of Martuni (Khojavend), Nagorno-Karabakh, lies in a field. November 10, 2020
Valery Melnikov, Russia, Sputnik
Azat Gevorkyan and his wife Anaik are ready to leave their home in Lachin, before Armenia returned it to Azerbaijani amid the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh
Valery Melnikov for Sputnik
Abovyan Hasmik (69) cries at the door of her home in the village of Nerkin Sus, Nagorno-Karabakh. November 30, 2021
Valeriy Melnikov for Sputnik
Areg sits outside a burning house in the village of Karegakh, Nagorno-Karabakh. November 25, 2020
Valeriy Melnikov for Sputnik
The winners of the 2021 Photo Contest and the 2021 Digital Storytelling Contest will be announced on 15 April in an online awards ceremony. Both the World Press Photo of the Year and the World Press Photo Story of the Year awards carry a cash prize of 5,000 euros.
What are your favourites?