Migrants crossing the border from Serbia into Hungary.The winning entries of the 59th annual World Press Photo Contest ​have just been announced. The 2016 Photo of the Year is a haunting nighttime image of refugees climbing through razor wire over the the Hungarian-Serbian border, taken by photographer Warren Richardson. This year, according to organizers, 82,951 photos were submitted for judging, made by 5,775 photographers from 128 different countries. Winners in eight categories were announced, including Contemporary Issues, Daily Life, General News, Long-Term Projects, Nature, People, Sports, and Spot News. World Press Photo has been kind enough to allow me to share some of this year’s winning photos here with you.

World Press Photo of the Year, and winner of first prize in the Spot News category, from photographer Warren Richardson. A man passes a baby through the fence at the Hungarian-Serbian border in Röszke, Hungary, on August 28, 2015. Many entries in this year’s World Press Photo competition covered the migrant crisis from multiple angles, and this haunting image stood out for the jury. Richardson: “I camped with the refugees for five days on the border. A group of about 200 people arrived, and they moved under the trees along the fence line. They sent women and children, then fathers and elderly men first. I must have been with this crew for about five hours and we played cat and mouse with the police the whole night. I was exhausted by the time I took the picture. It was around three o’clock in the morning and you can’t use a flash while the police are trying to find these people, because I would just give them away. So I had to use the moonlight alone.”

SHPËRNDAJE