The entries for this year's “World Press Photo” contest are on display in Moscow until the end of the month. The 200 pictures, chosen by independent experts, feature work by photojournalists from across the globe.

Each year an international jury of thirteen professional photographers choose the best shots in ten categories.  The entries include picture stories, portraits and single images.

The top award carries a cash prize of 10,000 euros, and a paid-for trip to Amsterdam – home of the “Word Press Photo” organisation.

Every picture tells a story

Although the pictures must be news related, they don't have to be about major news events.  Images of the biggest stories of the year often fail to win awards.

“I was a jury member for the World Press contest in 2001. Back then most of the photographs in the competition were about 9/11.  Some showed people jumping out of windows, others had the planes crashing into the towers. However none of those shots won any prizes, because news is not the only criteria,” says photographer Yury Kozyrev.

The organisation has a few main aims: to take photojournalism forward, to encourage the sharing of knowledge and to push for the free exchange of information. 

That is why the board at “Word Press Photo” consider many things before deciding how good a picture is.

“There's not just one factor. It’s the combination of the quality of the picture, the news you see and the way it is photographed,” explained Barbara Jonckheer, World Press Photo board member.

World celebrities in the world press

Some of the shots on this year's shortlist were taken by chance.  Others are the result of careful planning.  In some, photographers had to risk their lives in the world's most dangerous places.

The exhibition in open in Moscow until September 30, before moving on to Europe.

After the contest, the winning photos are packaged into exhibition that tours 40 countries, where they're expected to be viewed by more than a million people.