A boy in a tank top, sitting next to a window. The warm sunlight lights up his face, casting a soft and familiar shadow. But it only takes a moment to realize that something disrupts the apparent calm of this image: Mahmoud Ajjour has no arms. This is the powerful and deeply delicate shot with which Palestinian photographer Samar Abu Elouf won the 2025 World Press Photo of the Year award. Alongside her photograph, two other finalist images were selected, addressing the themes of migration and climate change, completing a visual triptych that speaks to the most urgent challenges of our time. Let’s take a closer look.
The Winning Photo: Mahmoud Ajjour, Aged Nine by Samar Abu Elouf
The photo was taken for The New York Times, but its creation is closely tied to the personal history of the photographer behind the lens. Abu Elouf was evacuated from Gaza in December 2023 and now lives in the same residential complex as Mahmoud, documenting the lives of some of the few severely injured Palestinians who, like him, managed to leave the Strip to receive treatment. The boy was injured in March 2024 while fleeing an Israeli attack on Gaza City: he had turned around to urge his family to follow him when an explosion tore off one arm and devastated the other. Now, in Qatar, he is learning to live using his feet: he opens doors, writes, plays on his phone. He dreams of prosthetics and a “normal” life.
Abu Elouf’s image is silent, yet immensely powerful. It has the ability to tell not only the personal tragedy of a child but also the collective tragedy of a generation marked by war. As World Press Photo’s executive director, Joumana El Zein Khoury, stated, «This is a quiet photo that speaks volumes […] I am deeply grateful to the photographers who, despite personal risks and emotional toll, choose to document these stories».
The Other Two Finalist Photos: Migration and Climate Change
Alongside Samar Abu Elouf’s shot, the jury selected two other images that, as complementary pieces, define the three major themes of this year’s edition: conflict, migration, and climate change.
Night Crossing by John Moore (United States, Getty Images) captures a group of Chinese migrants crouched in the rain as they warm up after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. The image is suspended, intimate, and conveys the vulnerability and complexity of the migration experience, far from the politicized narrative that often surrounds it.
Droughts in the Amazon by photographer Musuk Nolte (Peru/Mexico, Panos Pictures, Bertha Foundation) takes us to the Amazon, where a boy walks two kilometers along a dry riverbed to bring food to his mother. Where there was once water, there is now dust: the contrast between the world’s largest rainforest and its growing aridity becomes a powerful visual metaphor for climate change.
As Lucy Conticello, chair of the global jury and photo director for M, the weekend magazine of Le Monde, pointed out, «The Photo of the Year is a striking portrait because it’s layered, human, and necessary». The image of Mahmoud was a clear choice from the beginning, precisely because of its ability to transform an intimate moment into a universal narrative.
Thus, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of World Press Photo, the legacy of this competition continues to renew itself: alongside the photographers who choose, every day, to bear witness to the truth. Even – and especially – in its cruelty.
