“Photography furnishes evidence,” Susan Sontag wrote in On Photography. “Something we hear about, but doubt, seems proven when we’re shown a photograph of it.”

In our highly connected age, when it can be difficult to tell the “fake news” from the real, photojournalism is all the more important for the stories it is able to tell about human cruelty, resilience, passion and prejudice. 

Now in its 61st year, the World Press Photo Contest recognizes the best in photojournalism from the previous year. Prizes are awarded for the best single image or series of images depicting people, nature, sports, general news, spot news and contemporary issues. This year, the judges reviewed more than 73,000 entries by 4,548 different photographers from 125 countries. World Press Photo of the Year was awarded to Venezuelan photographer Ronaldo Schemidt for his photo of a protestor who caught fire while demonstrating against Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro on May 3, 2017. 

The 2018 contest featured a new category, Environment, documenting the impact, positive or negative, of human activity on the planet. South African photographer Neil Aldridge won first place in the Environment – Singles category for his photo of a southern white rhinoceros awaiting release into the Okavango Delta in Botswana, while Dutch photographer Kadir van Lohuizen won first place in the Environment – Stories category for his series Wasteland, depicting how different countries around the world manage their waste. 

One Canadian was among the winners this year. Kevin Frayer, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist known for his wartime work in the Middle East, won second place in the General News – Stories category for his images depicting Rohingya Muslim refugees fleeing persecution in Myanmar. 

From July 20 to August 12, the winning images will be exhibited in the Barney Danson Theatre at the Canadian War Museum, the first of four Canadian stops on the contest’s world tour. 

“World Press Photo – Exhibition 2018 is a dramatic overview of the year’s most newsworthy events and human experiences,” says Caroline Dromaguet, Acting Director General of the Canadian War Museum. “We are honoured to present this display of the world’s best photojournalism for an 11th consecutive year.”

Here’s a look at some of this year’s winning images.