The World Press Photo Award, "the most prestigious and coveted award in photojournalism," recognized Ronaldo Schemidt's work, which features a powerful story symbolizing the current state of Venezuela.
Image: Ronaldo Schemidt, Agence France-Presse
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World Press Photo honors photojournalism on the front lines
The most coveted photojournalism award in the world is marked by powerful images that combine deep emotional impact and supreme technical skill. Forty-two photographers from 22 countries were nominated this year.
Image: Ronaldo Schemidt, Agence France-Presse
'Venezuela Crisis' — Ronaldo Schemidt
The 2018 winner, by the Venezuelan photographer Ronaldo Schemidt, shows a protester, Jose Victor Salazar Balza, on fire during violent clashes with riot police at a protest in Caracas against President Nicolas Maduro and his plans to consolidate his political power. Clashes broke out on May 3, 2017, and Salazar was set alight when the gas tank of a motorbike exploded. He survived.
Image: Ronaldo Schemidt, Agence France-Presse
'Lagos Waterfront Under Threat' — Jesco Denzel
A boat from Lagos Marina is steered through the canals of the Makoko community — an ancient fishing village that has grown into an enormous informal settlement — on the shores of Lagos Lagoon, in Nigeria's capital. Prime real estate along the lagoon waterfront is scarce, and there are moves to demolish communities such as Makoko and build luxury apartment blocks in their place.
Image: Jesco Denzel, Laif
'Waiting for Freedom' — Neil Aldridge
The South African photographer Neil Aldridge won the Environment category for this picture of a young southern white rhino, who, blindfolded and drugged, waits after a long journey from South Africa to be released into the Botswana wilds as part of efforts to rebuild threatened rhino populations. Rhinos are killed by poachers for their horns, which are trafficked and sold illegally in Asia.
Image: Neil Aldridge
'Ich Bin Waldviertel' — Carla Kogelman
The winner of the Long-Term Projects-Stories category documents Hannah and Alena, two sisters who live in a bioenergy village of about 170 people in Waldviertel, an isolated rural area of Austria near the Czech border. Kogelman has been photographing Hannah and Alena since 2012. This image shows Alena and two young visitors in one of the barns of the self-sustaining village in 2014.
Image: Carla Kogelman
'Royal Shrovetide Football' — Oliver Scarff
The winner of Sports category was taken in February 2017 and shows members of opposing teams, the Up’ards and Down’ards, fight for the ball during the historic annual Royal Shrovetide Football Match in Derbyshire, England. The game, reportedly played since the 17th century, involves hundreds of participants over two eight-hour periods. Rules stipulate that players may not murder their opponents.
Image: Oliver Scarff, Agence France-Presse
'Dumpster Diver' — Corey Arnold
The US photographer won the Nature category for this symbolic picture of a bald eagle feasting on meat scraps in the garbage bins of a supermarket in Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Once close to extinction, the bald eagle has made a big comeback, especially in Alaska, where in some areas there's one eagle for every 10 people. Locally, the US's national bird is known as the "Dutch Harbor pigeon."
Image: Corey Arnold
'Gaza Burial' - Paul Hansen (2013 Winner)
The 2013 World Press Photo of the year by Sweden's Paul Hansen. It shows 2-year-old Suhaib Hijazi and her 3-year-old brother, Muhammad, being carried to a Gaza City mosque by their brothers for their burial ceremony in 2012. The siblings, along with their father, were killed when the family house was destroyed by an Israeli missile strike.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Paul Hansen
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Venezuelan photographer Ronaldo Schemidt has won on Thursday the esteemed World Photo Press Award for his powerful image of a protester consumed by fire amid violent clashes with riot police during a protest in Caracas, Venezuela in 2017.
Clashes between protesters and the Venezuelan national guard broke out on May 3, 2017, and Salazar was set alight when the gas tank of a motorbike exploded. He survived the incident.
Australian photographer Patrick Brown won in the General News — Singles category for "Rohingya Crisis," his haunting image of the bodies of Rohingya refugees laid out on the ground after the boat in which they were attempting to flee Myanmar capsized off the coast of Bangladesh. Of the roughly 100 people on the boat before it capsized, only 17 survived.
"Waiting for Freedom," by Neil Aldridge from South Africa, won the new Environment category for his image of a blindfolded white rhino that will be released into the wild in BotswanaImage: Neil Aldridge
The World Press Photo of the Year, the world's most coveted photojournalism award, honors photographers who have created timeless images that capture an event or issue of fundamental journalistic importance in the last year.
In 2018, the World Press Photo jury chose six nominees for the main prize, shortlisting as well photos in eight different categories — including a new environment category. Altogether, 42 photographers from 22 countries were selected and of these, 15 have won previous World Press Photo awards, while 27 are being recognized for the first time.
As with every World Press Photo contest, the jury debates the journalistic aspects of the stories as well as the aesthetic and technical dimensions of the image. Jerome Huffer, head chef of the photography department of the French magazine Paris Match and a member of the jury in 2018, hoped the press photo of the year would combine "the fundamentals of photojournalism with a new way of storytelling." He was not disappointed.
Click through the picture gallery above to view some of the World Press Photo Award winners this year, while the one below features shots from the 2017 awards.
World Press photo award 2017 showcases fury
Associated Press photographer Burhan Ozbilici has garnered this year's World Press Photo of the Year - a prestigious award for photo journalism.
Image: Reuters/K. Pfaffenbach
An image of rage goes viral
Burhan Ozbilici's image was captured in the seconds after the December 2016 assassination of Andrey Karlov, Russia's ambassador to Turkey. Ozbilici has also been on assignment in Syria, Libya and Egypt. He said he aims "to have the courage to confront a world which has been made rotten by the dishonest and corrupt, in order to try to do some good," according to AFP news agency.
This award-winning photo by Jonathan Bachman depicts 28-year-old activist leshia Evans standing her ground during a protest against police brutality in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in July 2016. Activists point to the blatant racism behind the killings of African-Americans by white police officers.
Image: Reuters/J. Bachman
The end of an era
Fidel Castro's death grabbed headlines around the world. Tomas Munita's image of the Cuban leader's funeral procession on December 1, 2016 took first prize in the Daily Life, Stories category.
Image: Reuters/The New York Times/World Press Photo Foundation//T. Munita
On their toes
Tiejun Wang captured this image of young students doing toe-pressure training at a gymnastics school in Xuzhou, China. The photo won second prize in the Daily Life, Singles category.
Image: Reuters/World Press Photo Foundation/Tiejun Wang
Trying to escape
Sergey Ponomarev's photo won second prize in the General News category. It shows a family fleeing the fighting in Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, while oil fields burn in the background in November 2016.
Image: Reuters/World Press Photo Foundation/The New York Times/S. Ponomarev
At a loss
Santi Palacios's image, which took second prize in the General News, Singles category, shows an 11-year-old girl from Nigeria (left), with her 10-year-old brother on a rescue boat in July 2016.
This photo by Brent Stirton won first prize in the Nature, Stories category. It shows a dead black rhino bull that was poached for its horns at Hluhluwe Umfolozi Game Reserve in South Africa.
Image: Reuters/World Press Photo Foundation/Getty Images for National Geographic/B. Stirton
Aiming to win
Usain Bolt of Jamaica is shown here smiling as he wins the 100-meter semi-final sprint at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016. The image by Kai Pfaffenbach took third prize in the Sports, Singles category.