“Dancing White Tips” by Eduardo Labat. Overall Winner and Winner, Black & White
Location: Roca Partida. Revillagigedo, Mexico
“It was our last dive of the day, in the afternoon with sunlight fading. At Roca Partida, most white tip sharks congregate in small groups at various ledges throughout the rock formation. On this particular afternoon, a large aggregation of white tips started forming some distance from the rock. Dozens of sharks formed a tight group at an approximate depth of 25 feet. The sharks were not hunting or exhibiting aggressive behavior. After witnessing this rare event from the periphery of the formation, I slowly ascended to hover just above it. That is where I took this picture. From above, the sharks seemed to be swimming in synchrony in a circular motion. It was beautiful to witness. I decided to use black and white for this picture both because of how the geometry of the formation looked in this style and also because of the natural contrast one can appreciate in black and white regarding the shark tips in relation to the rest of their bodies.”

“Exceptional Shipping” by Stefano Cerbai. Winner, Portrait
Location: Australia
“I was on my honeymoon in Australia, and among the many incredible places we visited was Southern Australia, where I had the chance to dive and search for the elusive sea dragon – an animal I had dreamed of seeing for years. I was incredibly lucky not only to find and observe one but also to capture a photograph of it carrying its eggs, which it was protecting on its back near its tail. This unforgettable experience was truly a dream come true.”

“Blue Sun Rising” by Julian Gunther. 2nd Place, Wide Angle
Location: Chubut Province, Patagonia, Argentina
“This photo was taken under a professional photography permit issued by the Argentine government and under direct supervision of Argentine authorities. This was shot using ambient light as strobes can disturb the animals and often will blow-up suspended particulate anyway. For this particular shot, I was free-diving in about 30ft (9m) of water looking for whales to photograph when this adult took a keen interest in me. It spent well over 30 minutes with me, doing a few close passes, but mostly swimming around me and doing underwater acrobatics such as going inverted or swimming around me while at a 90-degree angle to the seafloor. I wasn't sure if it was doing it for fun or to amuse/impress me (I'm probably anthropomorphizing, but I like to think that's what I might have been doing).”

“Juvenile Batfish” by Adam Martin. Winner, Macro
Location: Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia
“This juvenile batfish was found at 85′ depth in Tulamben, Bali, Indonesia. A snoot was used to try and isolate the flash to the subject, without lighting up too much of the background. The lighting highlights the texture and structure of the fish's body, emphasizing its graceful lines and vivid coloration.”

“Light” by Hwanhee Kim. Winner, Wide Angle
Location: Mexico, Rancho Viejo, Carwash
“LIGHT is nature's greatest gift. The week before I captured this shot, heavy rains fell in Cancun. Sediment and nutrients from the nearby CARWASH were washed into the cenote, creating stunning colors due to the difference in concentration. Rain is typically a challenge for underwater photography, but in this instance, it produced vibrant hues rarely seen underwater. Sunlight, with its strong vitality, pierced through the reddish waters, revealing a magical moment. The light served as a connection between the land and the underwater world, as well as between nature and humans. I felt privileged to witness this beauty and fortunate to have been able to document it.”

“Patterned Safe Haven” by Imogen Manins. 2nd Place, Macro
Location: Rye Pier, Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia
“In the cold, dark of night mid-winter waters of Port Phillip Bay, I decided to go in search of small creatures that may be living on sessile invertebrates. On examining a Ladder Ascidian I found this Pygmy Leatherjacket of approximately 20mm, its highly compressed body with cryptic pattern of ocelli matching perfectly to its host. Most often I have seen these timid fish residing close to similarly colored sargassum seaweeds, so this was a special sighting for me.”

“Born From Mouth” by Yoichi Sato. Winner, Marine Life Behavior
Location: Minamisatsuma, Kagoshima, Japan
“I was fortunate to capture the irreplaceable moment of a tiny creature hatching. On a midsummer night, while most creatures were fast asleep, a male Ostorhinchus properuptus, having completed a week-long incubation period, summoned all its energy and, with a trembling motion, released a swarm of larvae from its mouth. To minimize stress on the fish, I observed the process under a dim red light. During the hatch-out moment, I used red lighting with a special setting that turned off the red light as soon as the strobe's pre-flash was detected. This setup effectively eliminated red light interference in the photograph, ensuring the image captured the moment as naturally as possible.”

“Hunting” by Kyungshin Kim. Winner, Blackwater
Location: Anilao, Philippines
“I captured this shot during a blackwater dive in Anilao last November. At first, I noticed two squids stuck together and assumed they were mating. However, upon closer inspection, I realized they were not mating, one squid was eating the other, a smaller squid. Squids are known to engage in cannibalism, but it's rare to witness small squids eating each other during a blackwater dive. I carefully followed and observed them, managing to capture a few photos. After about 10 minutes, the color of the smaller squid, which was being consumed, began to fade. Finally, it released a spurt of black ink. Shortly after, the squid that had finished eating slowly disappeared into the distance, while the squid that became its prey sank into the dark depths of the sea.”

“Turtle Consevation” by Tom Vierus. 2nd Place, Underwater Conservation
Location: Dravuni Island, Kadavu Province, Fiji
“As part of a photographic assignment to document the turtle conservation program implemented by WWF Pacific in Fiji, I joined WWF staff & turtle monitor volunteers at three locations in the country. Besides monitoring and recording data from known nesting beaches, the teams also monitored adult turtle populations in the waters surrounding the islands. During one such scouting trip through the waters near Dravuni Island in Fiji's southern part, one of the villagers spotted a green turtle from the boat at about 20m depth. He was a skilled freediver and carefully slid into the water. I joined him shortly after and followed him down with my housing, freediving as far as I could with my skills and the housing with attachments. It was impressive to witness: He dove down, approached the turtle, caught it with his hands, and brought it to the boat, where he passed it to the team for a number of measurements. This is the moment you see in this photo. Time is of the essence, and everything has to go as fast as possible, so I knew I didn't have a lot of chances to capture this moment. I tried to get as close as possible while framing an over/under shot, minding the wave action, making sure the settings were on point and everything was in focus. After a few minutes, the turtle was released back into the water unharmed and swam off. The data will help to formulate robust conservation plans for the turtles in the waters of Fiji, an urgent necessity given that the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies green turtles as' Endangered'.”

“Longnose Hawkfish” by Naomi Springett. Winner, Compact Macro
Location: Great Barrier Reef, Australia
“For our honeymoon, we joined a liveaboard dive trip to the Great Barrier Reef. This photo was taken on one of the nicest dives of the trip; a thriving coral bommie with abundant macro life. Perched proudly on the Black Sun Coral (Tubastraea micranthus), this Longnose Hawkfish (Oxycirrhites typus) was not too concerned with my presence and, much to my delight, sat still long enough for me to get a few photos before it swam away. With so many tropical fish being camera shy, this was a rare treat. Black Sun Coral is among my favourite corals; the rich green colours provided a contrasting background for this striking fish, making this one of my favorite moments from a very special diving trip.”

“Face to Face” by Sylvie Ayer. 2nd Place, Black & White
Location: Alimatha in Vaavu Atoll, Maldive
“One of my favorite place in the Maldives is Alimatha. This is a great place to do a night dive with a lot of nurse sharks. I could spend hours to dive there. This nurse shark was just laying on the floor and I moved the slowest I can to approach a maximum to this shark. It took time but at the end I was really close to it.”

“Fight” by Reiko Takahashi. 2nd Place, Marine Life Behavior
Location: Japan, Area Kitakoura, Sado, Nigata dive site – Akaiwa
“I took this photo in Sado, Japan. This diving point is called “Akaiwa” and is a sacred place for the Asian Sheepshead Wrasse. This photo shows two males fighting over territory. On the right is the winner with a wider mouth, the boss of this Akaiwa. He has a name and is called “Yamato.””

“Feast and Fornication” by Jenny Stock. 2nd Place, Nudibranchs
“Here, two nudibranch use their extended gonophors to mate, whilst simultaneously enjoying the delights of a good meal of green tendrils. Nudibranchs are hermaphrodites, meaning they have both male and female reproductive organs but they can't fertilize themselves, so they need to find a partner to mate with. After cross-fertilisation (and finishing their meal) they would both go onto lay their own egg spiral. Thanks to dive guide Regie Casia and Rutherford Parutanin for their assistance with this dive at Kirby's Rock.”

“Long Live the Queen!” by Lucie Drlikova. Winner, Underwater Fashion
Location: Swimming pool, 8 meters deep, Aquapalace Praha, Czech Republic, Europe
“Long Live the Queen: Underwater Photography of Evil Queen, lifted by her demons, from Snow White fairytale. This photo is part of my personal project Once Upon a Dream in Waterland, which I've been working on for 7 years. This project represents a return to my childhood dreams. All costumes, scenes and props are hand made by myself.”

“Hooded nudibranchs” by Borut Furlan. Winner, Nudibranchs
“This was my first visit to Vancouver Island in October 2024 and my first visit to Canada at all. I didn't have much knowledge about the area; therefore, I decided to use a wide-angle zoom lens on most of my dives because of its diversity. It turned out that this was a good idea since I had the opportunity to photograph a wide selection of objects (except the smallest ones). When I reached the kelp forest with hooded nudibranchs, I was simply shocked. I have never before seen so many nudibranchs in one spot. There were many thousands of them and they were everywhere, on the bottom, on the kelp and they were even swimming. I shot hundreds of various images of them and this one is one from this series.”

“Hunting in the Night” by Marco Lausdei. Winner, Compact Wide Angle
Location: Maldives – Fish head dive site
“We are at one of the most famous night dive sites in the world: Maya Thila. I noticed a whitetip reef shark moving in cyclical patterns, visibly attracted to a cloud of silverfish positioned along the Thila drop-off. Using a nearby boulder for cover, I carefully hid and minimized my bubbles, trying to get as close as possible without disturbing the predator's behavior. Once the shark grew accustomed to my presence, I waited for one of its cyclical movements to bring it within flash range. I timed the shot to capture not only the shark but also the evasive motion of the cloud of potential prey. The shot was taken from a bottom-to-top angle, intentionally including the surface of the sea to add depth and dimension to the image. Understanding the subject's habits and behavior was essential to the success of this shot.”

“Curious Cormorant” by James Emery. Winner, Cold Water
Location: Metridium Fields, Monterey, California
“During a dive in Monterey, I was photographing the Metridium fields when I noticed a cormorant swimming down towards us. To my surprise, it began pecking at my wife's head, but she was completely unfazed. I quickly swam over to get a few shots, and then the cormorant's attention shifted to the reflection in my camera's dome port. It stayed with us for about 20 minutes, swimming up for air before returning to check us out again. It was a unique and playful moment that gave me a glimpse into the curiosity of the cormorant, and I was lucky enough to capture it.”

“Fire Babies” by Jenny Stock. 2nd Place, Underwater Digital Art
“Cardinalfish are mouthbrooders. Females release an egg mass close to her chosen male. The male fertilises these eggs, then takes them into his mouth for incubation. Fathers are then unable to eat during the incubation period, although research has shown that they may partake in partial brood cannibalism – eating up to thirty percent of his brood.
On a dive at Atlantis Dumaguete, I slowly approached this egg laden male. I waited patiently until he opened his mouth and aerated his babies. Later, in photoshop, I felt the bright orange of the cardinalfish would work well as licking flames. I got to work and made a smokey fire creation. Many thanks to Norway Luardo for his guiding skills at Atlantis Dumaguete.”

“Blue Face” by Eduardo Acevedo. 2nd Place, Portrait
Location: Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
“Some days in September and October offer the best opportunities to capture great images of pilot whales. However, it's essential to wait until they are truly calm and relaxed. When the sea is like glass, the sun is in the perfect position between 9:30 and 11:00 a.m., there's zero wind, and the pilot whales are cooperative, it becomes possible to take an exceptional photo. But believe me, achieving all these conditions in the wild is incredibly challenging. I truly appreciated this rare moment as a photographer. This photo was taken with special permission from the Ministry of Ecological Transition in Spain.”

“Blanket Reflection” by Kat Zhou. 2nd Place, Blackwater
Location: Anilao, Philippines
“I spent a week diving in Anilao, hoping to get the chance to photograph an adult female blanket octopus. One of my final nights, we ended up finding two octopuses! One of them swam away when we saw it, but this one stayed around for quite some time. Of course, we found her at the very end of the dive, and I had exactly 0 air left in my tank when she fully unfurled her cape, but luckily she was right at the surface – I keep a snorkel in my pocket when I dive, and this was the first time I've actually had to use it!”

“The Golden Yawn” by Nemer Chua. 2nd Place, Compact Behavior
Location: Anilao, Mabini, Batangas, Philippines
“A once-in-a-lifetime chance and pure luck! After more than 500 dives, I never imagined capturing such a rare moment a yawning Plotosus lineatus, commonly known as the striped eel catfish. I did't even realize it was yawning at first. It was a breathtaking moment, and I felt incredibly fortunate to witness it. This photo was taken in Anilao, Mabini, Batangas, Philippines, using my compact Olympus TG7 and MF2 Snoot. It's a testament to the power of luck, patience, and perseverance!”

“Drowning in Plastic” by Kimber Greenwood. Winner, Underwater Conservation
Location: USA, High Springs, Florida, Jonathan Springs
“This image was created as part of an awareness project for the Florida Springs Council about the impacts of water bottling on the local Florida Springs. Over 300 bottles of water are produced every minute at water bottling plants such as the ones located just minutes from the Spring this image was shot at. Not only are these bottles ending up in landfills and introducing micro-plastics into our environment, the bottling of “Spring Water” is causing a loss of water from the Floridian Aquifer which is reducing water levels and water flow, allowing for deterioration of the Springs and rivers. The bottles used for this image were donated from a local conservation activist who pulled them off the production belt of a local bottling plant. The images created from this campaign are used in on-going social media and print advertising campaigns to encourage individuals to make a better choice to use reusable water bottles over plastic bottles that harm the local Florida environment in many significant ways.”

“Desire” by Unkoo Kim. Winner, Underwater Digital Art
Location: Seogwipo, Jeju Island, South Korea
“The sea at Seogwipo, where I captured this image, is a place close to my heart, filling me with warmth and cherished memories. However, it is far from an ideal environment for underwater photography. The water is often murky, and the currents are strong. While other locations may face similar challenges, Seogwipo's waters have been further impacted by rising sea temperatures, a lack of subjects, and other factors that make photography particularly difficult. I wondered, how could I create images that truly capture the beauty of the sea creatures inhabiting Seogwipo's waters? The idea of using light as a background to highlight these creatures came to mind, and I set out to convey the stunning beauty hidden within Seogwipo's challenging waters. I took this image during the best season of the year. To capture a front-view image of the main subject, the Blue hana goby, I spent countless hours observing and getting close to them. Many shots had to be discarded along the way. Imagining the dynamic interplay of the Blue hana goby with bokeh lights, I used tools I had prepared in advance and a modified vintage lens to combine multiple exposures with firework bokeh images. While capturing firework images is not particularly difficult, it requires meticulous preparation, effort, practice, and, most importantly, time to build a connection with the subjects.”

“Mutualism” by Naomi Springett. Winner, Compact Behavior
Location: Great Barrier Reef, Australia
“This Bluestreak Cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) and Variegated Lizardfish (Synodus variegatus) were spotted on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. These fish are an example of mutualistic symbiosis, this means that both species benefit from their association with one another. The cleaner wrasse nibbles dead skin and parasites off the larger fish, providing the cleaner fish with food and leaving the lizardfish clean and healthy. Usually Lizardfish are quite skittish, not tolerating photographers to get too close, but this individual was quite content to pose for photos during its clean. I was amazed to watch the smaller fish dart all over the Lizardfish, even into its mouth, demonstrating incredible trust on the part of the smaller fish, eventually settling right on top of the Lizardfish's head!”

“Juvenile Pike” by Enrico Somogyi. 2nd Place, Compact Wide Angle
Location: Lake Kulkwitz, Leipzig, Germany
“Last summer, I was snorkeling in Lake Kulkwitz, located near my home. In the shallow water, I discovered many juvenile pikes. This particular pike was very relaxed and allowed me to approach closely. For this shot, I used a macro wide-angle lens from Nauticam with a 160-degree field of view. I zoomed out until I achieved this circular perspective and captured some beautiful shots of the pike near the surface.”

“Plunge” by Kat Zhou. 2nd Place, Cold Water
Location: Shetland, UK
“I took this photo during a trip to dive with Northern Gannets in Shetland. Gannets can hit the water at speeds of up to 60mph, making the experience both exciting and chaotic. The gannets were diving from all directions, and it was hard to choose where to aim my camera! I tried to photograph any bird that zoomed by, and I liked how this photo showed the motion of a gannet slowing down its dive.”

“Hearts Content Road, Gianna” by Logan White.
International Photographer of the Year and Professional Winner, Portrait.
“Hearts Content Road refers to a series of surreal and allegorical portraits taken in Upstate New York, exploring the dual nature of fantasy—a realm that provides both escape and excitement, yet harbors its own shadows of uncertainty.”

“Buried Car, CA” by Matthew Portch.
International Discovery of the Year and Winner, Non-Professional, Landscapes.
“From an ongoing series, Lost America examines a quiet stillness in a forgotten landscape that is, in a sense, ‘on pause’. Places appear frozen in time, their inhabitants absent or long since departed. Ardently stagnant in appearance, the spaces yearn to instill a melancholic feeling of familiarity.”

“Cold Square” by Dominik Gottwald.
Winner, Professional, Film:Analog.
“Because of the polar bears, space of movement in Longyearbyen was a limited. I don't feel like carrying a gun, which would have given me more freedom. But on the other hand, it gave me a different freedom. To concentrate on a defined area. So I walked around in a cold, but colourful square.”

“A Dog's Life” by Alicia Rius.
Winner, Professional, Domestic Animals.
“Like humans, dogs form attachments to their personal belongings, offering a glimpse into their identity.The objects they carry, keep, & even eat shape their daily lives, revealing their happiness, pride, and vulnerability. Capturing these cherished items in one image exposes the dog's heart and life.”

“Crosswalk” by Yongseok Chun.
Winner, Professional, Aerial.
“The camera captured various images of citizens crossing the pedestrian crossing.”

“Circus” by Algis Griskevicius.
Winner, Professional, Conceptual.
“Cirkas, a photographic series that might look full of absurd components at first: the bulky bodies of the models stuck in poses defying gravity, sculptures of titans replaced by real people holding the roof of a Lithuanian farmhouse, or the first Lithuanian cosmonaut flying his wicker rocket.”

“An Office with a View” by Christiaan Van Heijst.
Winner, Professional, Event.
“Long exposure, wide-angle shots taken from the flightdeck of the Boeing 747, cruising along the upper atmosphere.”

“The Great North” by Enrico Curti.
Winner, Professional, Landscapes.

“Galactic Bee” by Pedro Luis Ajuriaguerra Saiz.
Professional, Winner, Macro.
“Bee Close Up.”

“Singing Bird” by Ching Kai Lee.
Professional, Winner, Minimalism.
“The bank is clothed in verdure, but it is the bird, singing loudly upon the rock on the surface of the river, that catches the eye.”

“Desert Drag” by Katelin Kinney.
Winner, Professional, People-Culture.
“This project is a collaboration with local Drag Queens & Kings in Arizona. I wanted to bring attention to drag as an art form and celebrate that it has stretched far and wide even to the edges of the southwest desert.”

“Cafuné” by Rafael Fabrés.
Winner, Professional, Photojournalism.
“A group of teenagers having fun in a soccer field at Complexo da Penha, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 07th, 2015.”

“Honey Hunters of Nepal” by Andrew Newey.
Winner, Professional, Travel.
“High in the Himalayan foothills of Nepal Gurung honey hunters gather twice a year, risking their lives to harvest the honey from the world’s largest honeybee. For hundreds of years, the skills required to practise this ancient and sacred tradition have been passed down through the generations.”

“Whale Dreams” by Remuna Beca.
Winner, Professional, Underwater.
“A baby humpback whale pauses at the surface in a graceful upside-down ballet in the South Pacific. A dream-like scene, which I hope inspires a greater fascination for the wonders of our ocean and the dream to experience and protect it.”

“Wishes” by Geert Weggen.
Winner, Professional, Wildlife.
“Red squirrel with dandelion seeds blowing in the wind.”

“By the Ocean” by Mykola Myronov.
Winner, Non-Professional, Film:Analog.
“It doesn't matter how rich you are, what car you drive and how many friends you have in your life. We are all naked and alone by the ocean. Going to the coast, we become naked and find ourselves one on one with the ocean. Only in such moments we can stop and see who we really are.”

“Jump!” by Yevhen Kostiuk.
Winner, Non-Professional, Travel.

“Tunnel view” by Ross Steensland.
Winner, Non-Professional, Landscapes.
“When planning a trip across the Western United States, I based my route and timelines on my astrophotography bucketlist. And the top of that list was Yosemite. Planning showed that the Cygnus region with all of its red Hydrogen Alpha nebula and the Great Rift would line up right above Tunnel view.”

“I.D.” by Evan Murphy.
Winner, Non-Professional, People-Portrait-Storytelling.
“‘I.D.' emphasizes on queer youth; displaying stories of modern day romantic connections, societal impacts, and self liberation. Through a series of subjects, each frame narrates the journey of an LGBTQ individual navigating the intricate landscape of self and society.”

“The Taste of Memory” by Astrid Reischwitz.
Winner, Non-Professional, Still Life.
“The series explores personal and collective family narratives woven through still life compositions, intertwining threads of home, heritage, and identity. Embroidered fragments from old dish towels from my village in Germany now speak of loss and the gradual disappearance of cultural rites.”

“Sport. Colors & Shades” by Yevhen Kostiuk.
Winner, Non-Professional, Minimalism.

“Dreamtime” by Michael Potts
Winner, Non-Professional, Underwater.

“Dinner is Served” by Reed Fowler.
Winner, Non-Professional, Wildlife.
“This photo was taken at Brooks Falls in Alaska. The salmon were not jumping much that day, but I managed to capture the perfect shot when one did. From the color of the salmon to the way the bear is lunging with its mouth wide open, there is nothing I would change about my dream shot.”

UNICEF Photo of the Year Winners (Left: Avishag Shaar-Yashuv (Israel), for The New York Times | Right: Samar Abu Elouf (Palestine), for The New York Times)

Avishag Shaar-Yashuv (Israel). UNICEF Photo of the Year 2024. Photo taken for The New York Times.
“They survived the horrors of the Hamas massacre in their kibbutzim on October 7, 2023. They are four, ten, and 13 years old, or 17, and taken hostage for 51 days. Their faces, such as that of eight-year-old Stav, are a window into their souls: they show confusion, desolation, and anguish. Israeli photographer Avishag Shaar-Yashuv portrayed them in a hotel that was temporarily used as emergency shelter by many of the victims of the Hamas attack. As can be seen in Stav’s face, Avishag Shaar-Yashuv has hauntingly captured the look of children who see their previous lives lie completely in ruins.”

Samar Abu Elouf, (Palestine). UNICEF Photo of the Year 2024. Photo taken for The New York Times.
“They survived the bombing of residential areas in Gaza by the Israeli air force. They are two, four, five, nine, 13 or 15 years old. They have been dug out from under rubble. They are paralyzed and have lost their eyesight, arms, legs, hands, often their parents and sometimes even their entire family. Their faces show confusion, desolation, and anguish. Palestinian photographer Samar Abu Elouf portrayed these children in a hospital in Qatar, where they were brought to safety. Among them are Dareen, 11, and her brother Kinan, five years old, the only survivors of a family wiped out by an air strike. This picture, reminiscent of old master still life paintings, vividly shows the dignity of children even in the worst emotional distress.”

Pascal Maitre (France). 2nd Place. Photo taken for the VII Foundation, for Paris Match.
“Formerly known as monkeypox, a rare viral disease known as mpox has been on the rise in parts of Africa for some time. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is one of the worst affected countries with approx. 40,000 suspected cases, more than 8,000 confirmed cases and over 1,000 deaths so far. For the second time since 2022, the WHO has declared the highest alert level for the virus. There have also been confirmed cases of mpox in the USA and Germany. Although there is a vaccine against mpox, the supply is insufficient, especially in poorer countries. Children are particularly at risk. The symptoms include a rash with blisters or sores (ulcers) and pneumonia, brain inflammation, eye infections and even loss of sight. French photographer Pascal Maitre went to the most affected areas and documented the treatment of children at Kavumu Hospital in the Kivu region in eastern Congo. One of them is seven-month-old Japhet, whose blisters are being treated with the antiseptic dye ‘Gentian Violet.’ His 19-year-old mother Christevi cares for and looks after the little one. The health station where adults are also treated is only sparsely equipped. Nevertheless, it is still better there than the mud floor of their huts or in camps like the one in Busharaga. There, the virus can easily spread among the 16,000 internally displaced people.”

Maylis Rolland (France). 3rd Place. Photo taken for Agency Hans Lucas.
“According to a WHO study, one in ten children worldwide is born before the 37th week of pregnancy, meaning three weeks prematurely. Every missing week makes their start in life that much more difficult. This is especially true for extremely premature babies who sometimes have to take their first breaths after less than 32 or even 26 weeks of pregnancy, mostly the effect of insufficiently developed lungs and reduced kidney function. Worldwide, death resulting from premature birth is the second most common reason for not reaching the age of five. Even in industrialized nations, there are more and more premature births, which is mainly because mothers are increasingly older at birth. However, medical care for premature babies has made great progress, at least in rich countries. It has even been possible to save a premature baby who was born at just 22 weeks, measuring only 26 centimeters and weighing a mere 245 grams. French photographer Maylis Rolland’s photo series shows the wonderful moments at the University Hospital of Rennes, where the fragile lives of tiny babies are stabilized with the help of medical equipment and intensive human care. Like, for example, the moment when tiny Gabin, born after 25 weeks of pregnancy and still wearing a breathing mask, touches the face of his mother Doriane.”

Saher Alghorra (Palestine). Honorable Mention. Photo taken for ZUMA Press.
“Adults started the war – only they can finish it. Until they do so one day, even the most innocent suffer: the children. And in Gaza, their suffering is especially brutal. The UN Human Rights Office verified more than 8,100 deaths between November 2023 and the end of August 2024. According to its numbers, 70 percent of them were women and minors, most between five and nine years old, followed by children between 10 and 14 years. Thousands are believed to be buried under the rubble of bombed residential buildings or in mass graves. Countless children have been injured and mutilated in the war. Palestinian photographer Saher Alghorra has captured the horrors of war in heartbreaking images: children fleeing on dusty roads, reduced to mere skeletons; bleeding on the tiled floor of a hospital, standing in line for food or drinking water; saying goodbye to their dead parents, or lying on the deathbed themselves. In some of his pictures, however, Alghorra also documents how children have the power to teach us hope, even amid chaos and horror.”

Ivor Prickett (Ireland). Honorable Mention. Photo taken for Panos Pictures, for The New York Times.
“Far from the headlines, one of the greatest humanitarian disasters of our time is unfolding in Sudan. More than eight million people in the East African country are believed to be fleeing from the front lines of a conflict that has been raging since 2023. The lives of around 730,000 children are in immediate danger due to severe malnutrition. The warring parties deliberately use hunger as a weapon by plundering farms, stealing animals, and controlling vital water sources. They are destroying schools and health posts, recruiting children as soldiers, and committing sexual violence against women and girls. Irish photographer Ivor Prickett wants to draw international attention to this drama by documenting the misery, malnutrition, displacement, and despair in Sudan. Despite all the difficulties, UNICEF is working hard to deliver medicines, medical equipment, clean water, and other relief supplies, as well as special therapeutic food for the exhausted children of this war-ravaged country. UNICEF’s teams are on site despite all the dangers.”

Ziv Koren (Israel). Honorable Mention. Photo taken by Polaris Images.
“When Hamas fighters invaded Israel on October 7, 2023 and murdered more than 1,200 people, they also attacked the Golan family home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Elai Hogeg and her husband Ariel tried to hide there with their one-and-a-half-year-old daughter Yael; all in vain, because they, too, were not spared. The terrorists set fire to a room and threw an open butane gas cylinder into the fire, which quickly spread to the entire house. With serious skin injuries, the couple and their toddler escaped from a window, fled on foot and were finally picked up by a car and driven to a helicopter landing pad. In a clinic in Tel Aviv, all three were placed in a medically-induced coma: the girl, whose skin is 30 percent covered in burns, for eight days; her father, even more seriously injured, for ten. And her mother, who suffered the worst injuries, was there for 53 days. Israeli photographer Ziv Koren documented the family’s struggle for survival in painful detail: the time in hospital when grandparents had to look after little Yael because her parents were unable to. And then the time when the family gradually overcame their physical trauma – until the moment when they returned to their completely destroyed house for the first time and found little more than a picture from happier days. It is the story of a healing that is far from a happy ending: one of how people somehow survived, but nothing more.”

Jérôme Gence (France). Honorable Mention. Photo taken for Panos Pictures.
“For some time now, science and medicine have also been dealing with the omnipresent smartphone, coveted even by small children. And rightly so. There is largely consensus about its negative effects on the psyche, social and communication skills as well as on the ability to learn. Some neuroscientists are already talking about ‘digital dementia,’ while others advocate banning cell phones at least at primary school age to focus on analog, namely direct human contact. French photographer Jérôme Gence did a little research on this: Children and young people in France spend three hours a day staring at their cell phones, on which they receive over 230 messages every day. 50 percent of French families even use their cell phones during meals together. Even the WHO warns against putting smartphones in the hands of children under the age of three, as this can lead to sleep disorders. However, only 13 percent of parents heed the recommendation. And cellphone mania has now even spread to countries like Nepal. Jérôme has captured moments of this addiction in his photo series ‘The screen generation.'”

Valerio Bispuri (Italy). Honorable Mention.
“The United Nations estimates there are around 140 million of them worldwide. Perhaps their number is even higher. However, no reliable information on the number of orphans exists, as many countries lack reliable statistics on those children who bear the stigma of abandonment. It is not always just the loss of a father or mother or both that makes children half or full orphans, as was the case for a while in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly due to the HIV epidemic. Broken families with neglect, violence, abuse, poverty or simply a lack of attention also turn children into outcasts, into lost ones. For his photo series, Italian photographer Valerio Bispuri repeatedly visited orphanages in Africa and Latin America, first in Kenya, then for longer periods in Zambia and in his second home country of Argentina. He was the first photo reporter to visit the ‘Home of Happiness’ in Zambia’s capital Lusaka. This institution was founded a few years ago for orphans with severe physical and mental disabilities. His pictures also show two orphanages in Buenos Aires. In both countries, he additionally portrayed street children who are completely homeless. Bispuri deliberately works beyond the 24/7 news cycle. He is more concerned with the ‘invisible ones’ – the unnoticed and forgotten – who live as if they were never born.”

Vincent Boisot (France). Honorable Mention. Photo taken for Riva Press.
“Proud dancers can not only be found on the polished floors of ballet schools in big cities but also in places where the average monthly income is around 200 euros. In Lagos, the capital of Nigeria, there are also girls and boys who practice elegant pirouettes and defy gravity in graceful leaps. There, around 20 girls and boys aged between 10 and 22 have gathered under the guidance of their ballet teacher, Daniel Ajala, to become a classical dance ensemble. They practice outdoors, in a yard protected by barbed wire on uneven and bumpy ground, exposed to blistering heat and torrential rains alike, and surrounded by chickens. Ajala, a graduate of Lagos State University, launched his ‘Leap of Dance Academy’ in Nigeria’s capital with five children from the neighborhood. They come from a district that has electricity only for a few hours a day, inhabited by poor families where dancing in a ballet was a distant luxury. And yet the idea of creating new perspectives for children through dance caught on. Daniel is not the only one who is convinced that dancing helps the children to “stand up, speak up, and defend themselves!””

Patricia Krivanek (Canada). Honorable Mention.
“Ever since he could speak, Milo has talked to his parents and his brother. Outside his family, however, he turned totally silent. At the age of six, he was diagnosed with selective mutism, a presumably genetically caused, anxiety-related loss of speech in all situations outside the safety of the family. While he was cheerful and talkative at home, Milo suddenly became unable to utter a word every time he met other people. It is estimated that around one percent of all children are affected by selective mutism. Shocked and shaken by the diagnosis, Milo’s mother, Canadian photographer Patricia Krivanek, thought about how she could build bridges for her son and help him open up. She gave Milo a simple Instax camera as a novel way to show his emotions and express himself visually. At the same time, she also took his pictures and asked him to write down his thoughts. She calls this photo project ‘Between the Silence,’ as they navigate the path “between the light and the dark, the joy and despair, the sound and the silence.” It genuinely helped Milo get rid of a fear that often accompanies affected children well into their school years. Krivanek describes the project as “therapeutic practice for both me and my son;” she ‘armed’ Milo with the camera to combat his anxiety and understand him better.”

“Golden Moment” by Jerome Brouillet. Overall Winner and Gold, Aquatic

“Heaven” by Petr Slavik. Overall Runner-up and Gold, Winter Sports

“Zebra Crossing” by Anton Anestiev. Third Place Overall and Gold, Motor Sports

“Winfred Yavi, Olympic Gold” by Daniel Sannum Lauten. Gold, Athletics

“To The Pylon” by Kevin Sabitus. Gold, American Football

“Push with Lights” by Thomas Lam. Gold, Formula 1

“Untitled” by Romain Perrocheau. Gold, Rugby

“The Winning Point” by Peter Szalmas. Gold, Other

“The Shadow” by Bruce Bennett. Gold, Ice Hockey

“Seeing Double” by Andrew Hancock. Gold, Basketball

“Super Dre” by Darrian Traynor. Gold, Cricket

“Double Gymnastics” by Tom Weller. Gold, Gymnastics

“Diving at the Aspire Dome” by Shinya Tanaka. Gold, Swimming & Diving

“Dove of Peace” by Max Krause. Gold, Football

“Victory and Defeat” by Mike Carlson. Gold, Baseball

“Winter in Lambourn” by Edward Whitaker. Gold, Equestrian

“The Last Salute” by Lionel Hahn. Gold, Tennis

“Icarus” by Marton Monus. Gold, Urban & Extreme

“Eyeing a Punch” by Mohd Rasfan. Gold, Boxing

“Olympic Moonlight” by Loic Venance. Gold, Venues & Views

“Octagon under Sphere” by Christian Petersen. Gold, Martial Arts

“Bryson De Chambeau US Open” by David Cannon. Gold, Golf

“The Butchers” by Gaetan Flamme. Gold, Cycling

“Forehand” by Tom Weller. Gold, Racquet Sports

“The Old Man and the Mountain”
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