Submissions from South and Central America were on the rise, and Brazil was most well represented, with 121 participants who submitted over 14,000 images. As for most years, many news submissions and winners related to the theme of war, particularly in the Middle East and Africa. There were also many pictures related in some form to the increasing concern for environmental issues and Man’s destruction of his habitat.

All award-winning pictures are available for viewing on the World Press Photo website, including captions and picture stories.

_Spencer Platt is a US photographer of Getty Images. He won the World Press Photo of the Year 2006 (his picture was originally first prize of the category ‘Daily Life’).

 
_In ‘Spot News’, Nigerian photographer Akintunde Akinleye of Reuters won the first prize singles with this beautiful picture (above) of a Nigerian rinsing his face after a gas pipeline explosion. 

_The first prize singles for General News was awarded to Italian Paolo Pellegrin, of Magnum Photos for Newsweek/The New York Times Magazine, for a black and white frame of a Lebanese body, after an Israeli rocket attack.

_In People in the News, Israeli Oded Balilty of The Associated Press, won the first prize for a dramatic picture (above) of a settler woman pushing against – seemingly – a whole army of Israeli security officers. 

_Finally, in the arts and entertainment category, Espen Rasmussen from Norway, for Verdens Gang, won the first prize with this happier and peaceful scene of flower-picking in Latvia (below).

There were plenty more participants, exquisite pictures and emotional scenes, covering the range of sports action, sports features, nature, portraits and contemporary issues.

World Press Photo is already preparing for its upcoming events, including the 2007 Awards Days, on April 20-22 in Amsterdam, which will reunite the works of the award-winning photographers, and gather fans and professionals.
From April 23 on, the World Press Photo world exhibit debuts, starting in Amsterdam, and moving around the world, from exhibit to exhibit.

The pictures are protected by copyright. The World Editors Forum is a partner of World Press Photo. All awarded photos will be exhibited at the World Editors Forum and World Newspaper Congress from June 3 to 6 in Cape Town, South Africa.

Source: World Press Photo