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World Press Photo of the Year 2009Iranian women in Tehran shout protests into the night in a photograph chosen by the World Press Photo organization as the top news photo of 2009. Italian photographer Pietro Masturzo had taken the picture on June 24, shortly after Iran's contested presidential elections."The photo shows the beginning of something, the beginning of a huge story. It adds perspectives to news. It touches you both visually and emotionally, and my heart went out to it immediately," jury chair Ayperi Karabuda Ecer said in a statement.A team of judges, including National Geographic magazine's director of photography, David Griffin, selected winners in ten subject areas–from spot news to sports features. In each subject area, the judges awarded first, second, and third prizes for both individual photos and photo-essays. (The National Geographic Society owns National Geographic magazine and National Geographic News.)

Masturzo's winning shot was chosen from more than a hundred thousand images submitted by 5,847 photographers. The picture was also part of a photo-essay that won first place in the "People in the News" essay category.–Rachel Kaufman

Photograph courtesy Pietro Masturzo