The World Press Photo of the Year award is part of the World Press Photo Awards, organized by the Dutch foundation World Press Photo.
Considered one of the most prestigious and coveted awards in photojournalism, the World Press Photo of the Year is awarded to the image that "... is not only the photojournalistic encapsulation of the year, but represents an issue, situation or event of great journalistic importance, and does so in a way that demonstrates an outstanding level of visual perception and creativity."[1]
The jury, composed of 10 members, also assigns the World Press Photo Story of the Year to a multi-image story that explores a theme of social relevance distinguished by photographic intensity and importance of the content. The creators of the two main awards receive a cash prize corresponding to €5,000.[2]
In addition to the two main prizes, 3 single photo prizes and 3 story prizes are also awarded in each of eight categories.[3]