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A photo of a family being separated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers following an immigration court hearing in New York City was awarded World Press Photo’s “Photo of the Year” on April 23.
The photograph, taken by Carol Guzy for the Miami Herald, was captured inside the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building — one of the few U.S. federal buildings where photographers were granted access — in a “single hallway where Guzy and others showed up, day after day, to document what was happening,” according to World Press Photo. The winning photo was selected from a pool of 2026 World Press Photo Contest winners, announced earlier in April.
Titled “Separated by ICE,” the image captures the “harrowing moment” when ICE agents detained Luis following an immigration court hearing on Aug. 26, 2025.
Regarding the image, World Press Photo said, “Luis, an Ecuadorian migrant whom his family says has no criminal record, served as the household’s sole provider. His wife Cocha and their three children (aged seven, 13, and 15) were left inconsolable, facing immediate financial hardship and profound emotional trauma.”
Guzy, in a statement, said her “award highlights the critical importance of the story worldwide.”
“We bear witness to the suffering of countless families, but also to their grace and resilience that transcends adversity that has been quite humbling,” Guzy said. “The courage to open up their lives to our cameras, allowed us to tell their stories.”
She added, “And certainly, this award belongs to them, not me.”
The winning image was selected from a larger body of work, “ICE Arrests at New York Court” by Guzy, which was awarded in the Stories category of the North and Central America region, World Press Photo said.
World Press Photo Executive Director Joumana El Zein Khoury, in a statement, said the image “shows the inconsolable grief of children losing their father in a place built for justice.”
“It is a stark and necessary record of family separation following the US reform policies,” Khoury said. “In a democracy, the camera’s presence in that hallway serves as a witness to a policy that has turned courthouses into sites of shattered lives — it is a powerful example of why independent photojournalism matters.”
The top photograph was followed by two finalists, which were:
“Aid Emergency in Gaza” by Saber Nuraldin, which showed Palestinians climbing onto an aid truck as it entered the Gaza Strip via the Zikim Crossing on July 27, 2025, in an attempt to get flour, during what the Israeli military called a ‘tactical suspension’ in operations to allow humanitarian aid through.”
“The Trials of the Achi Women” by Victor J. Blue for The New York Times Magazine showing plaintiff Doña Paulina Ixpatá Alvarado, who was held captive and assaulted for 25 days in 1983. In the photo, she is standing with fellow Achi women outside a Guatemala City court, on May 30, 2025, a few hours before three former civil defense patrollers were sentenced to 40 years in prison for rape and crimes against humanity.
Regarding the “Aid Emergency in Gaza,” photograph, the World Press Photo jury said, “This image renders visible the scale and urgency of famine in the second year of this war in Gaza. The straight forward composition forces the viewer to pause, and offers visual evidence of famine, and the destruction surrounding the scene.”
The jury said “The Trials of the Achi Women” emphasizes “women’s dignity and authority, deliberately countering historical visual narratives that frame women—particularly survivors of sexual violence—as powerless subjects,” adding the “portrait documents a moment of collective strength at the conclusion of their long struggle for justice.”
Founded in the Netherlands in 1955, World Press Photo is a nonprofit organization that “champions the power of photojournalism and documentary photography to deepen understanding, promote dialogue, and inspire action.”
World Press Photo announced the winners of the 2026 World Press Photo on April 16, with the winning selection showcasing some of the world’s best photojournalism and documentary photography.
Forty-two winners were chosen from over 57,000 entries submitted by 3,747 photographers across 141 countries, World Press Photo said in a news release.
The winning photographers, representing countries across the world, from the United States and Ukraine to Nepal, Pakistan, and Palestine, were awarded according to the regions where they were located.
“Offering a powerful reflection of our world, the winners illuminate the realities we face globally; marked by fracture, urgency and yet an innate resilience,” World Press Photo said.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@usatodayco.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.