world press 2013 photo winners

The most thought provoking and moving photos you’ll see all year…

by Josh Madden

For 56 years the World Press organization hasheld a photo contest, and with today's technology and social climate the images are more thought-provoking and emotionally moving than ever. The entries this year come from 5,666 photographers of 124 nationalities--totaling 103,481 photographs, all of them are incredible.

The contest was created in 1958 to pay respect to photojournalists and create a bridge between the professionals and the general public. The prize-winning photographs are assembled into an exhibition that travels to 45 countries over the course of the next year and are then published in a yearbook. The World Press archive not only boasts over half a century of human history, but also exhibits the profession of photo journalism through the years.

The video piece below is an arranged slide show of all of the winning photos set to a live recording of Edward Sharpe and the Magentic Zeros' "Life is Hard." View the galleries of years past and present and learn more about the foundation HERE.