Paul Hansen Wins Top Prize

The photo shows a narrow street of angry and sorrowful men carrying the bodies of two small boys wrapped in shrouds. Taken in November 2012 by award-winning staff photographer Paul Hansen of Dagens Nyheter, it wasn’t until he saw the photo on the front page of the paper that he realized how powerful it was.

On Friday, the picture was named Photo of the Year by World Press Photo, the most prestigious international photojournalism contest, founded in 1955. Hansen’s win marks the first time a Swedish photographer has won the prize.

“The strength of the pictures lies in the way it contrasts the anger and sorrow of the adults with the innocence of the children,” says Mayu Mohanna, jury member from Peru. “It’s a picture I will not forget.”

Hansen described the taking of the photo in a recent article in DN: “There were hundreds of people. Everyone was crying, everyone was shouting. They were angry and sad. It was a cacophony of sound and emotion. And there I was, running around and trying to translate all of that into one five hundredth of a second.”

For Hansen, who is no stranger to winning prizes, the award is more than just an honor. He hopes that all the attention can in some way alleviate conflicts around the world.

“This prize makes us discuss photo journalism, makes us realize how important it is. If we, the media, can help illuminate all this darkness, maybe we can force world leaders to think twice. I might be naïve. But people have a voice through photos. Those two little boys are all over the world now.”