Winners of the World Press Photo contest, which recognizes excellence in photography, were released Friday. The winners were selected from more than 100,000 entries submitted by more than 5,200 photographers, according to the World Press Photo competition.
New York Times photographer Samuel Aranda was announced the winner of the iconic World Press Photo competition on Friday.
The 55th annual jury of the World Press Photo contest selected Aranda's photograph of a woman consoling an injured male relative in Yemen as 2011's photo of the year. The woman is covered almost entirely by her burqa, by exception of small parts of her face and arms that seem to sneak out from beneath her robes. Aranda took the photograph in a Sanaa mosque that was being used as a hospital by demonstrators protesting against Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh.
The Times' Lens blog described the winning photograph as having the "feel of a Renaissance painting." Mr. Aranda told the Times that it was one of the first shots he took during his two months on assignment in Yemen. "The woman is not just crying. It was something more. You can feel that the woman is really strong," Aranda said of the female subject in his photograph.
The World Press Photo competition is one of the most famous competitions for photojournalists in the world. The award-winning photographs are made into a traveling exhibition, which visits more than 45 countries over the course of the year. Click over to the World Press Photo website to view all the winners and exhibit schedule.
