World Press Photo of the Year 2025 winners announced

Elouf’s harrowing image of a nine-year-old Gaza boy taking the coveted Photo of the Year title. Captured for The New York Times, the winning photograph shows Mahmoud Ajjour, a child who lost both arms in an Israeli strike in Gaza City in March 2024.

Now living in Doha following evacuation, Mahmoud is learning to adapt to his injuries – using his feet to play, write and open doors – and dreams of one day receiving prosthetic limbs.

Abu Elouf, who herself fled Gaza in late 2023, now resides in the same Qatari apartment block as Mahmoud. Her portrait was chosen for its emotional depth and powerful narrative, highlighting the broader human toll of war.

Two runners-up were also recognised: Night Crossing by John Moore (Getty Images), depicting migrants braving the rain at the US-Mexico border, and Droughts in the Amazon by Musuk Nolte (Panos Pictures), revealing the haunting dryness of the rainforest amid climate crisis.

For more on this year’s winners and touring dates, visit worldpressphoto.org.