The World Press Photo of the Year honors the photographer whose visual creativity and skills made a picture that captures or represents an event or issue of great journalistic importance in the last year. The jury of the 59th annual World Press Photo Contest has selected an image by Australian photographer Warren Richardson as the World Press Photo of the Year 2015.

Image Source – World Press Photo

Richardson’s picture–which also won first prize in the Spot News category–shows refugees crossing the border from Serbia into Hungary, near Horgoš (Serbia) and Röszke (Hungary). Taken at night on 28 August 2015, this man and child were part of the movement of people seeking to cross into Hungary before a secure fence on the border was completed.

Richardson is a freelance photographer, currently based in Budapest, Hungary.

The 2016 contest drew entries from around the world: 5,775 photographers from 128 countries submitted 82,951 images. The jury gave prizes in eight categories to 41 photographers from 21 countries.

The premier award, the World Press Photo of the Year, carries a cash prize of 10,000 euros. In addition, Canon will present the winning photographer with the recently launched Canon EOS-1D X Mark II camera and lens kit.

World Press Photo

• The World Press Photo Foundation is a major force in developing and promoting visual journalism.
• Founded in 1955, the World Press Photo Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
• The foundation receives support from the Dutch Postcode Lottery and is sponsored worldwide by Canon.
• There are also a range of collaborations with the World Press Photo Associates, the Friends of World Press Photo, and other partners.

Check all the Award Winning Photos HERE