World Press Photo 2012 award winners gallery

A handout picture released on February 10, 2012 by World Press Photo shows a photo taken on March 11, 2011 by Yuri Kozyrev of Noor Images for Time of Libyan rebels in Ras Lanuf. Yuri Kozyrev of Russia won the first prize of the Spot News Singles category of the World Press Photo of the Year 2011. AFP PHOTO / NOOR IMAGES / YURI KOZYREV RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT \"AFP PHOTO / NOOR IMAGES / YURI KOZYREV\" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - NO ARCHIVE -- RESTRICTED TO SUBSCRIPTION USE (Photo credit should read YURI KOZYREV/AFP/Getty Images)

In this photo provided on Friday Feb. 10, 2012 by World Press Photo, the 2nd prize Arts and Entertainment Singles category of the 2012 World Press Photo contest by Vincent Boisot, France, Riva Press for Le Figaro Magazine, shows a model posing in front of tailor stalls in the center of Dakar, Senegal, July 9, 2011. She wears the creation of a designer, Yolande Mancini, participating in the 9th edition of Dakar Fashion Week. (AP Photo/Vincent Boisot/Riva press for Le Figaro Magazine)

ATTENTION EDITORS - PICTURE 17 OF 19 OF THE WINNERS OF THE 55th WORLD PRESS PHOTO CONTEST 2011 Niclas Hammerstrom of Sweden, a photographer working for Aftonbladet, has won the second prize Spot News Stories with the series \"Utoya\".Trying to avoid the killers bullets, many people jumped into the cold water in Utoya, Norway, July 22, 2011. Anders Behring Breivik killed 69 people on 22 July on the small island of Utoya outside Oslo in Norway.The prize-winning entries of the World Press Photo Contest 2011, the world's largest annual press photography contest, were announced February 10, 2012. REUTERS/Niclas Hammerstrom/Aftonbladet/Handout (NORWAY - Tags: SOCIETY MEDIA) NO SALES. NO ARCHIVES. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. NO COMMERCIAL SALES

ATTENTION EDITORS - PICTURE 10 OF 19 OF THE WINNERS OF THE 55th WORLD PRESS PHOTO CONTEST 2011 Jenny E. Ross of the U.S. has won the first prize Nature Singles with this picture of a male polar bear climbing precariously on the face of a cliff above the ocean at Ostrova Oranskie in northern Novaya Zemlya, Russia June 30, 2011, attempting to feed on seabird eggs. This bear was marooned on land and unable to feed on seals--its normal prey--because sea ice had melted throughout the region and receded far to the north as a result of climate change. The prize-winning entries of the World Press Photo Contest 2011, the world's largest annual press photography contest, were announced February 10, 2012. REUTERS/Jenny E. Ross/Handout (RUSSIA - Tags: SOCIETY MEDIA) NO SALES. NO ARCHIVES. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. NO COMMERCIAL SALES

ATTENTION EDITORS - PICTURE 19 OF 19 OF THE WINNERS OF THE 55th WORLD PRESS PHOTO CONTEST 2011 Adam Pretty of Australia, a Getty Images photographer, has won the second prize Sports Stories with the \"World Swimming Championships\" series. Picture shows divers practicing during the 14th FINA World Championships at the Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China, July 17, 2011. The prize-winning entries of the World Press Photo Contest 2011, the world's largest annual press photography contest, were announced February 10, 2012. REUTERS/Adam Pretty/Getty Images/Handout (CHINA - Tags: SOCIETY MEDIA SPORT) NO SALES. NO ARCHIVES. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. NO COMMERCIAL SALES

(FILES) A file photo taken on April 3, 2011 shows tsunami survivor Chieko Matsukawa holding her daughter's graduation certificate that she found in debris in Higashimatsushima, Miyagi prefecture. Japanese Agence France-Presse photographer Yasuyoshi Chiba won on February 10, 2012 the first prize in the News Stories category of the World Press Photo of the Year 2011. AFP PHOTO / YASUYOSHI CHIBA (Photo credit should read YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP/Getty Images)

(FILES) A file photo taken on December 5, 2011 shows an Afghan Shia Muslim crying near dead and injured after explosions during a religious ceremony in the center of Kabul. Afghan Agence France-Presse photographer Massoud Hossaini won on February 10, 2012 the second prize of the Spot News Singles category of the World Press Photo of the Year 2011. AFP PHOTO/ Massoud HOSSAINI (Photo credit should read MASSOUD HOSSAINI/AFP/Getty Images)

ATTENTION EDITORS - PICTURE 9 OF 19 OF THE WINNERS OF THE 55th WORLD PRESS PHOTO CONTEST 2011 Paolo Pellegrin of Italy, a Magnum Photos photographer working for Zeit Magazin, has won the second prize General News Stories with the \"Tsunami aftermath\" series. The devastating 9.0-magnitude earthquake that hit the northeast coast of Japan triggered hugely destructive tsunami waves of up to 38 meters that struck Japan traveling up to ten kilometers inland. More than 28,000 people are dead or missing and more than 125,000 buildings destroyed or severely damaged. The prize-winning entries of the World Press Photo Contest 2011, the world's largest annual press photography contest, were announced February 10, 2012. REUTERSPaolo Pellegrin/Magnum Photos/Handout (JAPAN - Tags: SOCIETY MEDIA) NO SALES. NO ARCHIVES. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

ATTENTION EDITORS - PICTURE 7 OF 19 OF THE WINNERS OF THE 55th WORLD PRESS PHOTO CONTEST 2011 Alejandro Kirchuk of Argentina has won the first prize Daily Life Stories, with the series \"Never Let You Go\". Marcos leads Monica from their room to the living room. Although at times he grumbles about the time devoted to her care, Marcos did not see any other possibility. \"Tell me where she is going to be better than here. I treat her like a princess, here she has everything.\" 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. The disease is considered a future epidemic because it mainly affects older people, and as life expectancy is annually increasing in global population, the disease is becoming increasingly common. The prize-winning entries of the World Press Photo Contest 2011, the world's larges

ATTENTION EDITORS - PICTURE 6 OF 19 OF THE WINNERS OF THE 55th WORLD PRESS PHOTO CONTEST 2011 Damir Sagolj of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a Reuters photographer based in Thailand, has won the first prize Daily Life Singles with this photograph of a picture of North Korea's founder, Kim Il-sung, decorating a building in the capital Pyongyang October 5, 2011. The prize-winning entries of the World Press Photo Contest 2011, the world's largest annual press photography contest, were announced February 10, 2012. Picture taken October 5, 2011. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj (NORTH KOREA OF THE - Tags: SOCIETY MEDIA TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

ATTENTION EDITORS - PICTURE 5 OF 19 OF THE WINNERS OF THE 55th WORLD PRESS PHOTO CONTEST 2011 Stephanie Sinclair of the U.S., a VII Photo Agency photographer working for National Geographic magazine, has won the first prize Contemporary Issues Stories with the series \"Child brides: Too young to wed\". Tahani (in pink), who married her husband Majed when she was 6 and he was 25, poses for this portrait with former classmate Ghada, also a child bride, outside their mountain home in Hajjah Hajjah, Yemen, June 10, 2010. Nearly half of all women in Yemen were married as children. Child marriage is outlawed in many countries and international agreements forbid the practice yet this tradition still spans continents, language, religion and caste. The prize-winning entries of the World Press Photo Contest 2011, the world's largest annual press photography contest, were announced February 10, 2012. REUTERS/Stephanie Sinclair /VII Photo Agency/Handout (YEMEN - Tags: SOCIETY MEDIA TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) NO SAL

ATTENTION EDITORS - PICTURE 8 OF 19 OF THE WINNERS OF THE 55th WORLD PRESS PHOTO CONTEST 2011 Alex Majoli of Italy, a Magnum Photos photographer working for Newsweek, has won the first prize General News Singles with this picture of protesters crying, chanting and screaming in Tahrir Square after listening to the speech in which Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said he would not give up power in Cairo, Egypt, February 10, 2011. The prize-winning entries of the World Press Photo Contest 2011, the world's largest annual press photography contest, were announced February 10, 2012. Picture taken February 10, 2011. REUTERS/Alex Majoli/Magnum Photos/Handout (EGYPT - Tags: SOCIETY MEDIA) NO SALES. NO ARCHIVES. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. NO COMMERCIAL SALES

ATTENTION EDITORS - PICTURE 11 OF 19 OF THE WINNERS OF THE 55th WORLD PRESS PHOTO CONTEST 2011 Brent Stirton of South Africa, a Getty Images photographer working for National Geographic magazine, has won first prize Nature Stories for the \"Rhino Wars\" series. The picture shows a female rhino in Tugela Private Game Reserve, Colenso, Natal, South Africa, November 9, 2010, that four months earlier survived a brutal dehorning by poachers who used a chainsaw to remove her horns and a large section of bone in that area of her skull. The female rhino survived the dehorning and has joined up with a male bull who now accompanies her. 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. The demand for Rhino horn is fueled by a wealthy Asian middle and upper class and used overwhelmingly as medication. The prize-winning entries of the World Press Photo Contest 2011, the world's largest annual press photograph

In this photo provided on Friday Feb. 10, 2012 by World Press Photo, the 2nd prize Sports Singles category of the 2012 World Press Photo contest by Ray McManus, Ireland, Sportsfile shows action from a rugby match between Old Belvedere and Blackrock, Dublin, Ireland, Feb. 5, 2011. (AP Photo/Ray McManus, Sportsfile)

ATTENTION EDITORS - PICTURE 3 OF 19 OF THE WINNERS OF THE 55th WORLD PRESS PHOTO CONTEST 2011 Rob Hornstra of the Netherlands has won the first prize Arts and Entertainment Stories with the series \"The Sochi Project: Sochi Singers\". Marika Bajur sings 'Kuriu' in the restaurant Eurasia. The southern Russian city of Sochi lies on the Black Sea and attracts predominantly Russian holidaymakers who come for a mix of sun, sea, sand and nightlife. Restaurants are plentiful and competition is fierce, with every restaurant employing a regular live musician blasting Russian chansons and popsa. The prize-winning entries of the World Press Photo Contest 2011, the world's largest annual press photography contest, were announced February 10, 2012. REUTERS/Rob Hornstra/The Sochi Project/Handout (RUSSIA - Tags: SOCIETY MEDIA) NO SALES. NO ARCHIVES. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY RE

ATTENTION EDITORS - PICTURE 15 OF 19 OF THE WINNERS OF THE 55th WORLD PRESS PHOTO CONTEST 2011 Ton Koene of the Netherlands has won the second prize Portraits Stories with the series \"Recruits at police training center\". New Afghan police recruits at the German police training centre in Kunduz, Afghanistan. All are illiterate; they are farmer sons from rural areas who never had any education and are joining the police for economic reasons. Their loyalty to the government is thin. A police officer earns around $170 per month, and due to harsh living and working conditions and as well the high risk for being killed by the Taliban, many decide to leave the police force before their contract ends. The prize-winning entries of the World Press Photo Contest 2011, the world's largest annual press photography contest, were announced February 10, 2012. REUTERS/Ton Koene/Handout (AFGHANISTAN - Tags: SOCIETY MEDIA) NO SALES. NO ARCHIVES. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAI

ATTENTION EDITORS - PICTURE 4 OF 19 OF THE WINNERS OF THE 55th WORLD PRESS PHOTO CONTEST 2011 Brent Stirton of South Africa, a Getty Images photographer working for Kiev Independent, has won the first prize Contemporary Issues Singles with this picture of Maria, a drug addict and sex worker, in between clients in a room she rents in Kryvyi Rig, Ukraine August 31, 2011. Maria injects drugs on a daily basis and sees many men every week but claims she remains HIV negative. She says she need the money to support herself, her drug habit and her nine-year-old daughter. The prize-winning entries of the World Press Photo Contest 2011, the world's largest annual press photography contest, were announced February 10, 2012. Picture taken August 31, 2011. REUTERS/Brent Stirton/Getty Images/Handout (UKRAINE - Tags: SOCIETY MEDIA) NO SALES. NO ARCHIVES. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED

ATTENTION EDITORS - PICTURE 12 OF 19 OF THE WINNERS OF THE 55th WORLD PRESS PHOTO CONTEST 2011 Tomasz Lazar of Poland has won the second prize People in the News Singles with this picture of an arrest of protesters during a demonstration against police tactics and income inequality in Harlem, New York City, October 25, 2011. The prize-winning entries of the World Press Photo Contest 2011, the world's largest annual press photography contest, were announced February 10, 2012. REUTERS/Tomasz Lazar/Handout (UNITED STATES - Tags: SOCIETY MEDIA) NO SALES. NO ARCHIVES. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. NO COMMERCIAL SALES

ATTENTION EDITORS - PICTURE 14 OF 19 OF THE WINNERS OF THE 55th WORLD PRESS PHOTO CONTEST 2011 Laerke Posselt of Denmark has won the first Prize Portraits Singles with this picture of Iranian-born Danish actress Mellica Mehraban, in Copenhagen, May 4, 2011. The 27-year-old Iranian-born actress Mellica Mehraban grew up in Denmark, but debuted as an actor in Iran in 2011. Taking the leading role as a villain in the spy drama 'Fox Hunting', she learned firsthand about the culture of her native country: following a regime-approved script, she was required to wear a head scarf in all scenes, forbidden from swearing, and learned to show that she was in love with a man without telling him or touching him. The prize-winning entries of the World Press Photo Contest 2011, the world's largest annual press photography contest, were announced February 10, 2012. REUTERS/Laerke Posselt/Handout (DENMARK - Tags: SOCIETY MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT) NO SALES. NO ARCHIVES. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR

In this photo provided on Friday Feb. 10, 2012 by World Press Photo, the 2012 World Press Photo of the year by Samuel Aranda, Spain, for The New York Times, shows a woman holding a wounded relative during protests against president Saleh in Sanaa, Yemen, Oct. 15, 2011. (AP Photo/Samuel Aranda/New York Times)