A picture of African migrants in Djibouti City, raising their phones to catch a signal, has won the annual World Press Photo prize. John Stanmeyer’s photograph beat nearly 100,000 entries by more than 5,750 photographers from 132 countries to scoop the award. Metro looks at some of the top photos from the contest.
1. Photo of the Year: Picture shows today’s impact of mobile phones
In American photographer John Stanmeyer’s winning image “Signal,” the silhouetted figures of African migrants on the shore of Djibouti City are trying to pick up a cheaper mobile phone signal from neighboring Somalia, in an attempt to connect with relatives abroad.
“It opens up discussions about technology, globalization, migration, poverty, desperation, alienation, humanity,” said World Press Photo jury member Jillian Edelstein.
2. Spot news: Explosive chaos of Syrian warfare frozen in image
Reuters photographer Goran Tomasevic, from Serbia, won the first prize in the Spot News Stories category with his series of pictures from Syria. This photo shows Syrian rebel fighters taking cover amid flying debris and shrapnel after being hit by a tank shell in the Ain Tarma area of Damascus.
3. Nature: ‘Human-like’ bonobo ape captures photographer’s attention
Christian Ziegler’s picture shows a curious 5-year-old wild bonobo near the Kokolopori Bonobo Reserve, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
4. People: Blind albino children in India brought into focus
A group of blind albino boys are photographed in their boarding room at the Vivekananda mission school for the blind in West Bengal, India, one of the country’s few schools for the blind. Brent Stirton’s image placed first in the People – Staged Portraits Single category.
5. Sports action: Stretch to a photo finish
This striking “portrait-meets-action” shot, from Quinn Rooney’s series “World Swimming Sports,” shows Daniel Arnamnart of Australia competing in the men’s 100-meter backstroke during day two of the Australian Swimming Championships in Adelaide on April 27, 2013.
6. Spot news: Family comes first in survival
In this picture from the series “Massacre at Westgate Mall,” a woman and children take shelter in Westgate Mall on Sept. 21, 2013. They escaped unharmed after gunmen opened fire at the upscale Nairobi shopping center. At least 39 people were killed in one of the worst terrorist attacks in Kenya’s history.
