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Photo of the Year and First Prize: Spot News, SinglesThe World Press Photo organization's annual contest, now in its 56th year, recognizes the most outstanding journalistic and documentary photography of the previous year. In 2013, a global jury of 19 experts selected winners from more than 100,000 images submitted by 5,666 photographers from 124 countries.For the most coveted prize—Photo of the Year—the jury chose this image by Swedish photojournalist Paul Hansen. It shows two Palestinian children being carried to their funeral after an Israeli missile struck their home in Gaza City. The children's father, whose body is on a stretcher in the background, was also killed in the blast; their mother survived but was in intensive care.Hansen had mixed emotions about winning. "I felt very happy, honored, and sad. It is a horrible photograph, on many levels, and I feel for the family," he said. "I hope that the decision makers on all sides look at the photograph, read about this family, and feel ashamed for the political failures that lead to the suffering of all these innocent people."—Linda Poon and Brett Line

Photograph courtesy Paul Hansen via WPP