Winners of the 2021 World Press Photo Contest

Portraits, First Prize, Stories—The "Ameriguns": Schriever, Louisiana - Torrell Jasper poses with his firearms in the backyard of his house in Schriever, Louisiana, on April 14, 2019. According to an independent global research project — half of all the firearms owned by private citizens in the world, for nonmilitary purposes, are in the United States. The survey states that the number of firearms exceeds the country’s population: 393 million guns to 328 million people.

Nature, First Prize, Stories—Pandemic Pigeons, A Love Story: A pair of feral pigeons befriended the photographer’s family, who were isolated in their apartment in Vlaardingen, Netherlands, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ollie and Dollie, as the family named them, were regulars in the house, their daily visits a reminder that humans are not alone on this planet, even while living isolated in urban areas. Here, Ollie perches on a dirty plate as the photographer fills the dishwasher, while Dollie looks on from outside, on April 17, 2020.

Spot News, First Prize, Stories—Port Explosion in Beirut: Firefighters work to put out the fires that engulfed warehouses in Beirut, Lebanon, on August 4, 2020, after a massive explosion in the port. At around 6 p.m. on August 4, a massive explosion, caused by more than 2,750 tons of high-density ammonium nitrate, shook Beirut. The explosive compound was being stored in a warehouse in the port. Some 100,000 people lived within a kilometer of the warehouse. The explosion, which measured 3.3 on the Richter scale, damaged or destroyed about 6,000 buildings, killed at least 190 people, injured a further 6,000, and displaced as many as 300,000.

Spot News, Third Prize, Singles—Forest Fire: A child sits inside a car near a forest fire in Oliveira de Frades, Portugal, on September 7, 2020. A wildfire began in Oliveira de Frades, about 100 kilometers from Porto in eastern Portugal, on September 7, and quickly spread.

Spot News, Third Prize, Stories—Minneapolis Unrest: The George Floyd Aftermath: Protesters raise their fists in defiance outside a burning fast-food restaurant near the Minneapolis Police Department 3rd Precinct, on May 29, 2020, in Minneapolis

Portraits, Third Prize, Singles—In Flight: A father teaches his autistic daughter, Ksenia, to launch a toy plane in Moscow, Russia, on August 23, 2020.

Environment, First Prize, Singles—California Sea Lion Plays With Mask: A curious California sea lion swims toward a face mask at the Breakwater dive site in Monterey, California.

Sports, First Prize, Singles—Log Pile Bouldering: Georg Filser-Mayerhofer of Germany climbs a log pile while doing some bouldering training in Kochel am See, Bavaria, Germany, on September 15, 2020. Rock-climbing gyms and sports facilities in Munich were closed as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, so athletes became creative in their training methods.