16 powerful winning images from the 2017 World Press Photo Contest

Over 80,408 photos were submitted by 5,034 photographers from 125 different countries

The annual World Press Photo Contest welcomed over 80,408 photos submitted by 5,034 photographers from 125 different countries. The competition, now in its 60th year, has eight categories including Contemporary issues, Daily life, General news, Long-term projects, Nature, People, Sports, and Spot News.

The World Press Photo of the year was awarded to Burhan Uzbilici for his brave and daring capture of the man who shot Andrei Karlov, the Russian ambassador to Turkey, at an art gallery in Ankara.

Here are some of the highlights from the collection of winning entries.

Spot news – stories, first prize

Mevlüt Mert Altintaş shouts after shooting Andrei Karlov, the Russian ambassador to Turkey, at an art gallery in Ankara. PHOTO: BURHAN OZBILIC/AP

Spot news – stories, third prize

Two men struggle in the water during a rescue in the Mediterranean. PHOTO: MATHIEU WILLCOCKS/AP

Spot news – singles, third prize

A car bomb explodes next to Iraqi special forces vehicles as they advance towards Islamic State-held territory in Mosul. PHOTO: FELIPE DANA/AP

General news – singles, third prize

A scene inside Quezon City jail, one of the Philippines’ most overcrowded prisons. PHOTO: NOEL CELIS/AFP

General news – stories, first prize

Police inspect an alley where a victim was killed by two unidentified gunmen in Manila, Philippines. PHOTO: DANIEL BEREHULAK/AP

General news – stories, second prize

A boy holds the body of his father, killed by Islamic State, as he arrives at a field hospital on the outskirts of Mosul, Iraq. PHOTO: SERGEY PONOMAREV/THE NEW YORK TIMES

Long-term projects – first prize

Residents escape from a fire at a house destroyed by an air attack in the village of Luhanskaya, Ukraine. PHOTO: VALERY MELNIKOV

Contemporary issues– singles, first prize

Leshia Evans stands her ground while offering her hands for arrest during a protest against police brutality in Louisiana, US. PHOTO: JONATHAN BACHMAN/REUTERS

Sports – singles, first prize

Nina Carberry flies off her mount, Sir Des Champs, as they fall at the Chair during the Grand National at Aintree in Liverpool. PHOTO: TOM JENKINS/THE GUARDIAN

Daily life - stories, first prize

A barber’s shop in Old Havana, Cuba. PHOTO: TOMAS MUNITA/THE NEW YORK TIMES

Nature – singles, second prize

A wild leopard strolls through Sanjay Gandhi national park, a protected area in Mumbai, India. PHOTO: NAYAN KHANOLKAR/EPA

Nature – singles, first prize

A sea turtle entangled in a fishing net swims off the coast of Tenerife in the Canary Islands. PHOTO: FRANCIS PEREZ/EPA

Nature – stories, second prize

A caretaker cradles a panda at the Bifengxia giant panda breeding and research centre in Sichuan, China. PHOTO: AMI VITALE/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

Nature – singles, third prize

Monarch butterflies cover the forest floor of the Rosario butterfly sanctuary in Michoacán, Mexico. PHOTO: JAIME ROJO/EPA

Daily Life - stories, second prize

In Russia’s extreme north, century-long ways of life dominate the daily life of some of the most isolated parts of the desolate landscape. Modern civilisation penetrates slowly and fragmentarily. There are no roads, and only one helicopter shuttle twice monthly. The residents’ ancestors can be traced back to hereditary hunters in a small settlement near Nizhnyaya Tunguska River, Russia, more than 300 years ago. PHOTO: ELENA ANOSOVA

Nature - stories, third prize

Buffaloes at the drinking station. These photos combine a well-known natural phenomenon: the starry sky and portraits of wild animals not visible to the naked eye. The series needed very accurate planning, research and preparation as the photos were made with remote control, and no modification was possible while capturing the photos. PHOTO: BEMCE MATE