The 2022 World Press Photo Award winners

This photo by Canadian photographer Amber Bracken recalls a dark chapter in her homeland, when Indigenous children were taken from their parents and put into government schools. In 2021, the remains of 215 children were found on the grounds of the former Kamloops School. The horrors of colonization are palpable when looking at this powerful work, the jury said.

Australia's First Nations have been burning the undergrowth in a controlled manner for thousands of years. This practice allows the fauna to renew itself naturally; it also helps prevent large forest fires and reduce CO2 emissions. Photographer Matthew Abbot accompanied a group of Indigenous people during their so-called "Cool Burnings" and captured impressive moments along the way.

In his long-term photo reportage titled "Amazonian Dystopia," Brazilian photographer Lalo de Almeida has documented the progressive destruction of the Amazon since President Jair Bolsonaro came into office. Where the rainforest once dominated the landscape, trees are being cut down and mines being built. The habitat of Indigenous groups is threatened, as well as the world's climate.

For her "Blood is a Seed" video project, Isadora Romero from Ecuador went in search of information about life in her ancestral village. Her grandfather and great-grandmother were "seed guardians." They cultivated several potato varieties — only two of which are still consumed. In her work, Romero shows the connection between forced migration, colonization and the loss of ancestral knowledge.

Time and again, the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram has kidnapped schoolchildren in Nigeria. In 2014, a global movement with the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls was born. But children are still being kidnapped and the initial outcry has died down. This photo by Sodiq Adelakun Adekola poignantly shows what 12 million girls are afraid of: simply going to school.

Fatima Shbai captures children in a tent during a ceasefire in Beit Lahia, in the Gaza Strip. On May 10, 2021, tensions between Israel and Palestine escalated in Jerusalem and spread to other cities. It was the worst fighting since the 2014 Gaza War. UNICEF estimates that some 500,000 children need psychological help as a result.

In August 2021, the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan. The Ariana Cinema in Kabul closed, but staff still came every day in the hope that it would reopen. For now, however, there is no future for Gul Mohammed (pictured): the cinema remains closed. Dutch photographer Bram Janssen captured this scene which represents the decline of the arts in the country.

The best single image from Europe was taken by Konstantinos Tsakalidis for Bloomberg News. It shows the forest fires that engulfed the Greek island of Evia on August 8, 2021. In the village of Gouves, 81-year-old Kritsiopi Panayiota stands stunned as her home is in danger of burning down.

Devastating forest fires have ravaged Indonesia in recent years, creating smoke that is extremely harmful if inhaled. Indonesian photographer Abriansyah Liberto named his photo series "Haze." His homeland is one of the largest producers of palm oil, but the monoculture system increases the risk of fire. Since 1990, a quarter of the forest has been destroyed.

Every year on December 31, the Indigenous Mixtec people of Mexico gather on a hill in Cerro de la Garza, Guerrero. They perform ancient rituals to celebrate the end and beginning of a new life cycle. Yael Martínez captured this surreal scene with his camera. He called his picture: "The Flower of Time: Guerrero's Red Mountain."

Many more Black women die during childbirth than white women in the United States. Furthermore, some Black women find it hard to trust the medical establishment because of experiences of deep-running racism. Some prefer to turn to midwives and give birth at home. Photographer Sarah Reingewirtz tells the story of a trusting relationship between a mother and her midwife.