The World Press Photo organization has announced the winners of this yearʼs photo contest, which selected the best works by photojournalists and documentary photographers.
The winning photos were classified by region: Africa, Asia-Pacific and Oceania, Europe, North and Central America, South America, West, Central and South Asia.
“The main themes of the winners for the European region were, of course, the conflict in Ukraine and the consequences of that war, as well as migration and the political shift to the right that we see in Europe and other countries around the world,” noted photographer, author, and head of the Contest Europe 2025 jury Finbar O’Reilly.
Photographer Florian Bachmeier was included in the list of winners with his work "Behind the Trenches". The photo shows six-year-old Angelina from a village near Kupyansk, who was forced to move to Borshchivka, 95 kilometers from Kupyansk, due to the war. As a result, the girl experiences panic attacks. The photographer wanted to show children who are surrounded by war, but who adapt to their new life and demonstrate their endurance.
Florian Bachmeier
Another winning work, which deals with Russia’s war against Ukraine, is the photo “Underground Field Hospital” by Nanna Heitmann. The photo shows a wounded soldier who was called up to fight for Russia in the temporarily occupied territory of the Donetsk region. He was wounded near Bakhmut.
Nanna Heitmann
Among the winners in this region is Russian photographer Mikhail Tereshchenko of the TASS propaganda agency with his work “Protests in Georgia”. He photographed the November 2024 protests, when Georgians protested against the policies of Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, who put EU accession talks on hold. In an interview with TASS, Tereshchenko said that he had previously sent World Press Photo photos of “liberated Mariupol”, which he had taken during the “active phase of the liberation of the city of a million people”.
In the “long-term project” category, Russian documentary photographer Alyona Kardash also won. In her photo story “Home Smells Like Smoke”, Kardash, who was born in Russia and now lives in Germany, reflects on the loss of her home and her love for people who believe in a different version of reality.
- One of the most prestigious photography competitions, World Press Photo, annually celebrates the best journalistic and documentary photographs taken during the year. In 2025, World Press Photo celebrates its 70th anniversary.
- In World Press Photo 2024, the project of Ukrainian photographer Yulia Kochetova “War is Personal” won. And in 2023, the photo of Ukrainian photographer Yevhen Maloletka won the World Press Photo competition in the “Photo of the Year” category.
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