The annual World Press Photo Exhibition showcases the most striking news photographs from around the world. This year’s edition just opened at the Royal Festival Hall on London’s Southbank.

The 2012 top prize was awarded to Spanish photographer Samuel Aranda for the above image – featuring a mother cradling her son in her hands after he was overcome by tear gas during an anti-government demonstration in Yemen.

The photos on display were selected by a panel of judges from over 100 000 submissions. After showing in London, it will travel to 45 countries over the next year.

Among the other winners are photos from the Norwegian massacre and from the aftermath of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami of last year. The winner of the Contemporary Issues Singles category shows Maria, a drug-addicted sex worker, resting between clients in the room she rents in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine.

More incredible images from the exhibition can be seen in the gallery below:

[Source: Daily Mail]