2021 Photojournalist of the Year (Large Market)

Still Photojournalism > 2021 Photojournalist of the Year (Large Market)

First Place

Jacob Ehrbahn/Politiken

STORY INTRO: The Moria camp on the Greek island of Lesbos is Europe's largest camp for refugees and migrants. In March 2020 around 20,000 people...

STORY INTRO: The Moria camp on the Greek island of Lesbos is Europe's largest camp for refugees and migrants. In March 2020 around 20,000 people live here under inhumane conditions. This is more than ever before. The authorities introduce restrictions on the freedom of movement for asylum seekers due to the Covid-19 outbreak. In practice this means that people are trapped in a place where it is impossible for them to follow basic guidelines for avoiding infection. The situation increases the already high stress levels among the camp residents. MSF estimate that 35 percent of the residents of the camp are children

The Moria camp on the Greek island of Lesbos is Europe's largest camp for refugees and migrants. In March 2020 around 20,000 asylum seekers live...

The Moria camp on the Greek island of Lesbos is Europe's largest camp for refugees and migrants. In March 2020 around 20,000 asylum seekers live here under inhumane conditions. This is more than ever before. Saiad, age 33, has been living in ???the Jungle??? of the Moria camp for half a year. He lost one of his legs when he had to cross a bridge by motorcycle in his hometown, Faryab, and someone let off a roadside bomb. He has a wife and four children back in Afghanistan and hopes to be reunited with them in Germany or Canada. 4 March 2020

At present approximately 20,000 refugees and migrants are bunched together in the Moria camp. Most of them are Afghans, but there are also many Syrians...

At present approximately 20,000 refugees and migrants are bunched together in the Moria camp. Most of them are Afghans, but there are also many Syrians and people of other nationalities. The area with makeshift houses outside the reception center is called ???the Jungle??? 11 March 2020

At the edge of Moria???s ???jungle??? a group of Christians from Congo perform a ritual to ask God for help. Marselo Joni is on his...

At the edge of Moria???s ???jungle??? a group of Christians from Congo perform a ritual to ask God for help. Marselo Joni is on his knees. He fled with his wife and their daughter 11 months ago and they have been living in the camp for four months now. They would like to go to a peaceful country in Europe. 10 March 2020

Twelve-year-old Elyas Tahery boils potatoes for the family. He fled Afghanistan with his mother, father, two brothers and a sister a year ago. They have...

Twelve-year-old Elyas Tahery boils potatoes for the family. He fled Afghanistan with his mother, father, two brothers and a sister a year ago. They have been living in ‘the Jungle’ for three months. The plan is to continue the journey to Germany, where Elyas’ uncle lives. 8 March 2020

Zaynab Aboud is five years old. She fled with her grandparents from Idlib, a town in Syria that has been devastated by war. Her mother...

Zaynab Aboud is five years old. She fled with her grandparents from Idlib, a town in Syria that has been devastated by war. Her mother died in a bomb explosion when Zaynab was three months old. Her father has already moved to Germany, so that is where she and her grandparents are going. They have been living in the Moria camp for five months. 11 March 2020

An older woman crosses a river of trash in ‘the Jungle’ area of the Moria camp.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and several smaller NGOs estimate that 35 to 40 percent of the residents of the camp are children. Though people live...

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and several smaller NGOs estimate that 35 to 40 percent of the residents of the camp are children. Though people live under inhumane conditions here, life goes on and sometimes children forget time and place for a while as they laugh and play. 8 March 2020

At the edge of ‘the Jungle’ a boy plays in one of the many olive trees that have been cut back severely because people lack firewood. 9 March 2020

STORY INTRO: The night before September 9, a huge fire breaks out in the Moria camp, causing most of the residents to flee. A day...

STORY INTRO: The night before September 9, a huge fire breaks out in the Moria camp, causing most of the residents to flee. A day and a half later, new scattered fires continue to emerge in the camp. By the end of the day nearly all of the makeshift houses, tents and residential containers have been consumed by the flames. The 12,000 residents of the Moria camp are now forced to live on the streets while local authorities, collaborating with the UN Refugee Agency, set up a new, supposedly temporary tent camp in a military area on the outskirts of Mytilini. CAPTION: Fanned by the wind, the flames spread quickly from house to house. Soon nothing remains. Rumor has it that some Afghan refugees started the fire out of desperation. September 10, 2020

The last residents of the Moria camp salvage what they can and leave the burning ruins. No deaths related to the fire have been reported....

The last residents of the Moria camp salvage what they can and leave the burning ruins. No deaths related to the fire have been reported. September 10, 2020

Two planes and two helicopters fly in shuttle service to the camp in order to put out the fires. September 10, 2020

A man recovers his belongings while the flames consume some of the last remaining makeshift houses in ???The Jungle??? area of the Moria camp. September...

A man recovers his belongings while the flames consume some of the last remaining makeshift houses in ???The Jungle??? area of the Moria camp. September 10, 2020

Police have cordoned off a one kilometer stretch of the main road just outside Mytilini where they gather the homeless refugees and migrants. Benito is...

Police have cordoned off a one kilometer stretch of the main road just outside Mytilini where they gather the homeless refugees and migrants. Benito is convinced that the Moria fire was started by angry and frustrated residents of the camp. The 24-year-old Congolese musician lost his guitar and all other belongings in the fire. Now, at least, he has found a mattress and carries it into the enclosed area. September 11, 2020

The 12,000 residents of the Moria camp are now forced to live on the streets while local authorities, collaborating with the UN Refugee Agency, set...

The 12,000 residents of the Moria camp are now forced to live on the streets while local authorities, collaborating with the UN Refugee Agency, set up a new, supposedly temporary tent camp in a military area on the outskirts of Mytilini. September 10, 2020

Along the cordoned-off stretch of the main road entering Mytilini, people sleep in parking lots, small olive groves, empty lots or on the side of...

Along the cordoned-off stretch of the main road entering Mytilini, people sleep in parking lots, small olive groves, empty lots or on the side of the road. No one knows what will happen. But they can see that the authorities and UNHCR are setting up white tents in a military area further down the road. September 11, 2020

Women and children begin protesting their situation on a daily basis. Today more than a thousand have shown up. Carrying homemade signs and shouting slogans,...

Women and children begin protesting their situation on a daily basis. Today more than a thousand have shown up. Carrying homemade signs and shouting slogans, they walk the main road between the two police cordons. They refuse to settle in the new camp because they believe it will turn into a prison. They don't trust that this is a temporary solution and expect to be here for a long time. Perhaps even when winter arrives and living in regular tents on the edge of the sea will be extremely cold. Many of them hope that Germany in particular will come to their rescue and grant them asylum in this extraordinary situation. September 13, 2020

The sun is high in the sky and the temperature 30-40 degrees. After demonstrating for an hour and a half, Somayea, a 10-year-old Afghan girl,...

The sun is high in the sky and the temperature 30-40 degrees. After demonstrating for an hour and a half, Somayea, a 10-year-old Afghan girl, faints and collapses on the pavement. The women cool her off with water and bring her back to consciousness. She's in a state of chock, screaming and crying loudly until she calms down and is carried away. Her family believes she fainted because she has barely eaten or drunk for four days. No nourishment has been available behind the police cordons, until a few NGOs start distributing food and other necessities. September 13, 2020

Gabu, 33, from Senegal has lived in the Moria camp for 10 months. He says a morning prayer in the parking lot of the Lidl...

Gabu, 33, from Senegal has lived in the Moria camp for 10 months. He says a morning prayer in the parking lot of the Lidl supermarket where many homeless refugees and migrants have settled. He has slept here since he fled the fire in the camp. September 13, 2020

STORY INTRO: Refugees and migrants trying to reach northern and western Europe via the Balkan route are heading to the northwestern corner of Bosnia-Herzegovina. IOM...

STORY INTRO: Refugees and migrants trying to reach northern and western Europe via the Balkan route are heading to the northwestern corner of Bosnia-Herzegovina. IOM estimates that in December 2020 there are 4,000 people here, who all want to cross the border to Croatia. Many single men and boys from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh settle down in abandoned houses and rundown factory buildings in and around the towns of Bihać and Velika Kladuša, but there are also a number of families staying in the area who will try to cross the border before the winter really sets in. ----------------------- CAPTION:Yesterday the Croatian border police sent eight-year-old Sobhan and his family back over the border to Bosnia-Hercegovina. He has slept in an abandoned house with his parents and three siblings in a village near the border. It is too cold and dangerous to sleep in the ruins, so the Bosnian police who patrol the area have phoned the Organization for Migration IOM, which is coming to pick up the family and transport them to a camp in Bihać. 5 December 2020

Haseen Afghan, age 29, and his wife Somaya, age 21, are walking toward the Croatian border with their ten-month-old daughter Oswah. Last night they slept...

Haseen Afghan, age 29, and his wife Somaya, age 21, are walking toward the Croatian border with their ten-month-old daughter Oswah. Last night they slept in a small hunting lodge in the village of Bosanska Bojna together with another Afghan family. They have tried to cross the border 12 times in the past two weeks. When they enter Croatia, they contact a lawyer, say where they are and that they want to seek asylum. The lawyer then contacts the police, who are supposed to help the family begin the asylum application process. But instead, the family???s repeated experience is that the police destroy their cell phones, take their money and send them back across the border. It is almost three years since the couple fled from Herat, where Haseen was an English teacher and Somaya his student. The Taleban murdered Haseen???s father and threatened to kill him. Somaya walks with a crutch because she fell and injured her foot earlier in their journey through Europe. 7 December 2020

Thirty to forty young men from Bangladesh have set up camp on a wooded hill on the outskirts of Velika Kladusa. One of the men,...

Thirty to forty young men from Bangladesh have set up camp on a wooded hill on the outskirts of Velika Kladusa. One of the men, who has abandoned the camp, has left behind photos of himself by the makeshift tent he stayed in.

Thirty to forty young men from Bangladesh have set up camp on a wooded hill on the outskirts of Velika Kladusa. Afiyan Imran, 26, has...

Thirty to forty young men from Bangladesh have set up camp on a wooded hill on the outskirts of Velika Kladusa. Afiyan Imran, 26, has been here for four months. He wants to go to France, but the Croats have so far pushed him back over the border four times. Kanon, 22, gives him a shave.

An Afghan family consisting of a mother, a father and their six children between the ages of five months and ten years old plan to...

An Afghan family consisting of a mother, a father and their six children between the ages of five months and ten years old plan to cross the border to Croatia from the town of Velika Kladuša together with another Afghan couple. They have walked to a place where they have to crawl down a steep muddy slope and jump across a stream to enter Croatia. As soon as the father Hekmatollah Anarkhel lands on the other side of the stream with his two-year-old son Mohammad Taha on his shoulders, a group of Croatian border police come running towards him. He jumps back to his wife Zoleykha who is standing on the other side with their five-month-old son in a baby sling. The couple’s four other children are standing on the bank with the young couple the family is travelling with. The families run through the terrain together and up the steep slope back to the main road. This big family has now made 36 unsuccessful border crossings, and the young couple eleven. Velika Kladusa, Bosnia-Herzegovina, December 8, 2020

Soon after two Afghan couples with six children are discovered by the Croatian border police while trying to cross the border on the outskirts of...

Soon after two Afghan couples with six children are discovered by the Croatian border police while trying to cross the border on the outskirts of Velika Kladuša, Bosnian police show up and detain them. After speaking with them angrily, the police let them go. Atefeh, age nine, has a bottle of milk for the journey. The large family with six children has now made 36 unsuccessful border crossings, and the young couple eleven. 8 December 2020

In the center of Bihać, around 50 young men from Afghanistan and Pakistan are staying in a ruined building next to the river. Originally intended...

In the center of Bihać, around 50 young men from Afghanistan and Pakistan are staying in a ruined building next to the river. Originally intended to be a nursing home, construction halted during the wars in former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. The Afghan brothers, Ismail, age 14, and Naeem, age 17, have been staying here for 15 days. They have been turned back from Croatia twice. Now they are talking to their parents in Jalalabad. Ismail speaks with their father on one phone while Naeem speaks with their mother on another. The boys dream of reaching Belgium and London. 8 December 2020

In the center of Bihać, around 50 young men from Afghanistan and Pakistan are staying in a ruined building next to the river. On the...

In the center of Bihać, around 50 young men from Afghanistan and Pakistan are staying in a ruined building next to the river. On the top-floor of this building, two boys sit by the fire warming themselves. Twenty-year-old Sil from Pakistan wants to go to Italy. He has crossed the border to Croatia six times. They call these attempts ‘the game’. Sharif, the one with the cap, is 15 years old and comes from Afghanistan. He has crossed the border five times. Three times he made it all the way to Slovenia before the police captured him and drove him back to Bosnia-Hercegovina. Both of them have been living in this building for three months. They have been beaten several times and had their belongings taken from them by the Croatian border police. Sharif would like to go France. 8 December 2020

More than 100 young men and boys, primarily from Afghanistan and Pakistan, have settled in a rundown former metal factory on the outskirts of Biha??....

More than 100 young men and boys, primarily from Afghanistan and Pakistan, have settled in a rundown former metal factory on the outskirts of Biha??. The young man with his back turned is Abas Rahimi. Out of the 13 times he has attempted to cross the border to Croatia, he has been beaten up ten times by Croatian police. He says, ???They took my shoes, my jacket and my money, and they broke my cell phone with a knife. Then they burnt it all in a fire. The last time it happened was three days ago.??? Biha??, Bosnia-Herzegovina, 9 December 2020

Two Afghan families have just crossed the border and walk into Croatia. The fathers carrying the children lead the way. Many refugees and migrants go...

Two Afghan families have just crossed the border and walk into Croatia. The fathers carrying the children lead the way. Many refugees and migrants go to the small village of Bosanska Bojna, 25 kilometres east of Velika Kladuºa. They stay in abandoned houses and try to cross the border to Croatia from here. 7 December 2020

The spread of Covid-19 prompts the Danish government to lock down the country on March 11. Since that day we have all had to change...

The spread of Covid-19 prompts the Danish government to lock down the country on March 11. Since that day we have all had to change the ways in which we interact ??? the ways in which we function as a society. The most important weapon in the fight against Covid-19 has proved to be physical distancing.

STORY INFO: The spread of Covid-19 prompts the Danish government to lock down the country on March 11. Since that day we have all had...

STORY INFO: The spread of Covid-19 prompts the Danish government to lock down the country on March 11. Since that day we have all had to change the ways in which we interact ??? the ways in which we function as a society. The most important weapon in the fight against Covid-19 has proved to be physical distancing. -------------------------------------------------------------------CAPTION: DRIVE-IN TEST CENTER --------------------- Outside the hospital in Kolding tents have been set up where health workers test for Covid-19 and conduct health checks. This is for citizens who have been referred by their physician because they have possible Covid-19 symptoms.Katja Mogensen, 43, is on maternity leave and has been feeling under the weather. Normally she wouldn't have contacted her doctor, but you can't be too careful in this age of Corona. Paramedic Allan Udsen listens to Katja's lungs, while 9-month-old son Luca takes it all in from the passenger seat. 30 April 2020

OPEN-AIR-MORNING MEETING -- Staff at the Brain Injury Center in Virum begin work every day with an 8 o'clock meeting where they plan the day...

OPEN-AIR-MORNING MEETING -- Staff at the Brain Injury Center in Virum begin work every day with an 8 o'clock meeting where they plan the day ahead. During the pandemic they have moved the meeting out into the open air and stay at a safe distance. After the meeting they split up into two buildings, minimizing the risk of spreading possible infection among staff members or among the young people undergoing a highly specialized rehabilitation. 3 April 2020

PROTECTION -- The Corona virus is serious business at the Harald Nyborg DIY store in Elsinore. Protective plexiglass guards won't be installed for a few...

PROTECTION -- The Corona virus is serious business at the Harald Nyborg DIY store in Elsinore. Protective plexiglass guards won't be installed for a few days and until then cashiers work in makeshift plastic tents. Every half hour the store manager makes the rounds with more hand sanitizer for the staff. Lena Svensson has worked here for seven years. She's not fazed by the situation, although it gets hot under the plastic sheeting. ???You've got to stay positive and protect yourself and the customers,??? she says. 30 March 2020

A BIRTHDAY PARTY AT THE DANISH-GERMAN BORDER -- In the spring and summer of 2020, the pandemic prompted Denmark to close its borders. Vibeke Krey...

A BIRTHDAY PARTY AT THE DANISH-GERMAN BORDER -- In the spring and summer of 2020, the pandemic prompted Denmark to close its borders. Vibeke Krey is married to a German and lives in Northern Germany. On this day, she drives to a family gathering at the Aventoft border crossing with her children Johanna, 15, and Laurids, 13. They are here to celebrate that Vibeke's mother Else turns 88. Else and her husband Ib have arrived at the Danish side of the closed border crossing along with sisters Lisbeth and Hanne, a brother-in-law and a nephew and his girlfriend. There's plenty of coffee and cake, smiles and laughter, gifts and great stories. Ninety minutes later Vibeke drives home happy in the knowledge that her children have had a historic experience they won't soon forget. 16 May 2020

DRIVE-IN-FOOTBALL -- As a cautious reopening of Denmark begins in June, football players in the top national league can look forward to putting their boots...

DRIVE-IN-FOOTBALL -- As a cautious reopening of Denmark begins in June, football players in the top national league can look forward to putting their boots back on. But the matches must be played with no fans in the stands. In the parking lot at the FC Midtjylland stadium about 1000 cars and their passengers pull in to witness a match against AC Horsens on five giant screens. A homemade version of the AC Horsens mascot suggests who the passengers of this car might cheer for. Annette is behind the wheel and next to her is her sister Rikke, who won the tickets in a competition. In the back seats sits their friend Karin and her son Andreas. 1 June 2020

CARE -- It's a serious matter to be 81 years old and four weeks into a hospital stay with Covid-19, while everyone around you is...

CARE -- It's a serious matter to be 81 years old and four weeks into a hospital stay with Covid-19, while everyone around you is wearing personal protection equipment. And yet Jytte has the energy to praise the nurses who care for her. “They're damn good,” she says. While one nurse pricks Jytte's arm with a needle for a blood test, another nurse holds her hand. Nordsjælland Hospital, 15 May, 2020.

MINK MASS BURIAL -- Denmark is home to around 1000 mink farms, making it the world's largest producer of mink skins. But Covid-19 spreads rapidly...

MINK MASS BURIAL -- Denmark is home to around 1000 mink farms, making it the world's largest producer of mink skins. But Covid-19 spreads rapidly in the mink population, and on November 4 the Government announces the highly controversial decision to destroy all mink to protect public health. Fifteen million dead animals have to be disposed of quickly and safely. A large portion of the destroyed mink are buried in a military area five kilometers outside Holstebro. To prevent the spread of contagion, a thick layer of lime covers the bottom of the graves, followed by a layer of mink one meter thick, followed by more lime and eventually dirt. An entire industry is buried along with these animals. Nørre Felding, 18 November

EMPTY CHURCHES FOR EASTER -- Facing a ban on assembly, the Danish clergy must improvise to reach their parishioners. “The church is closed – but...

EMPTY CHURCHES FOR EASTER -- Facing a ban on assembly, the Danish clergy must improvise to reach their parishioners. “The church is closed – but I will draw attention to it by showing up at the shopping center this morning to greet those of you who feel like it and wish you a Happy Easter. Love, Cecilie/the vicar.” A post on the Facebook page of Cecilie Marie Schackinger, vicar at Egebæksvang Church in Espergærde. 11 April, 2020.

OPERA BUILD FOR COVID-19 -- The opera company Den Jyske Opera had to cancel several shows due to Covid-19 restrictions, but decided to reinvent itself...

OPERA BUILD FOR COVID-19 -- The opera company Den Jyske Opera had to cancel several shows due to Covid-19 restrictions, but decided to reinvent itself by turning restrictions into an asset. A few months later they premiered an “echo chamber opera” titled “Today and Tomorrow,” a psychological drama about loneliness. The theme is underscored by separating the 100 audience members and making each of them witness the drama from their own box in a warehouse in the port of Aarhus. 23 August 2020

MASK AND CONTAGION As of August 22 it is mandatory to wear a mask or visor on all means of public transportation as well as...

MASK AND CONTAGION As of August 22 it is mandatory to wear a mask or visor on all means of public transportation as well as in stations nationwide. Until this point, Denmark was one of the few countries in Europe that had not mandated its citizens to wear a mask to limit the spread of covid-19, citting a lack of evidence for the measure’s effectiveness. Metro in Copenhagen, 25 August, 2020.

1 / 42

Second Place

Felipe Dana/Associated Press

An emergency worker carries Jose Rocha on a hammock to a field hospital treating suspected COVID-19 patients in Manacapuru, Amazonas state, Brazil, Monday, June 1,...

An emergency worker carries Jose Rocha on a hammock to a field hospital treating suspected COVID-19 patients in Manacapuru, Amazonas state, Brazil, Monday, June 1, 2020. Rocha was having difficulty breathing.

A health worker stands on a boat carrying COVID-19 patient Jose da ConceiÁ„o as he waits for an ambulance to transfer him to a hospital...

A health worker stands on a boat carrying COVID-19 patient Jose da ConceiÁ„o as he waits for an ambulance to transfer him to a hospital after arriving in the port of Manacapuru, Amazonas state, Brazil, Monday, June 1, 2020.

In this Thursday, March 12, 2020 photo, Abdullah Alhassan, 50, who lost both legs after stepping on a landmine, recovers in Idlib central hospital, Syria....

In this Thursday, March 12, 2020 photo, Abdullah Alhassan, 50, who lost both legs after stepping on a landmine, recovers in Idlib central hospital, Syria. Idlib city is the last urban area still under opposition control in Syria, located in a shrinking rebel enclave in the northwestern province of the same name. Syria’s civil war, which entered its 10th year Monday, March 15, 2020, has shrunk in geographical scope -- focusing on this corner of the country -- but the misery wreaked by the conflict has not diminished.

Cacique Pedro, poses for a photo as he sits outside his house in the “Park of Indigenous Nations” community in Manaus, Brazil, Sunday, May 10,...

Cacique Pedro, poses for a photo as he sits outside his house in the “Park of Indigenous Nations” community in Manaus, Brazil, Sunday, May 10, 2020.

A care worker pushes an elderly nursing home resident who tested positive for the new coronavirus to an ambulance in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, April 11,...

A care worker pushes an elderly nursing home resident who tested positive for the new coronavirus to an ambulance in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, April 11, 2020.

In this Thursday, March 12, 2020 photo, women walk in a neighborhood heavily damaged by airstrikes in Idlib, Syria. Idlib city is the last urban...

In this Thursday, March 12, 2020 photo, women walk in a neighborhood heavily damaged by airstrikes in Idlib, Syria. Idlib city is the last urban area still under opposition control in Syria, located in a shrinking rebel enclave in the northwestern province of the same name. Syria’s civil war, which entered its 10th year Monday, March 15, 2020, has shrunk in geographical scope -- focusing on this corner of the country -- but the misery wreaked by the conflict has not diminished.

One-year-old Yazan has his oxygen mask removed after heart surgery at the Tajoura National Heart Center in Tripoli, Libya, on Feb. 27, 2020. Yazan's perilous...

One-year-old Yazan has his oxygen mask removed after heart surgery at the Tajoura National Heart Center in Tripoli, Libya, on Feb. 27, 2020. Yazan's perilous trek from his small desert hometown culminated in a five-hour surgery. He is one of 1,000 children treated by Dr. William Novick's group since it first came to Libya after the 2011 uprising.

Manaus is one of the hardest hit cities in Brazil, which officially has lost more than 23,000 lives to the coronavirus. But in the absence...

Manaus is one of the hardest hit cities in Brazil, which officially has lost more than 23,000 lives to the coronavirus. But in the absence of evidence proving otherwise, relatives are quick to deny the possibility that COVID-19 claimed their loved ones, meaning that the toll is likely a vast undercount. As ambulances zip through Manaus with sirens blaring and backhoes dig rows of new graves, the muggy air in this city by the majestic Amazon River feels thicker than usual with such pervasive denial. Manaus has seen nearly triple the usual number of dead in April and May. Doctors and psychologists say denial at the grassroots stems from a mixture of misinformation, lack of education, insufficient testing and conflicting messages from the country’s leaders. Crosses mark the graves of those who have passed away since early April, filling a new section of the Nossa Senhora Aparecida public cemetery amid the new coronavirus pandemic in Manaus, Brazil, Sunday, May 16, 2020. The new area was opened last month to cope with a sudden surge in deaths in the city, though most of the deceased were not tested for COVID-19.

A SOS Funeral worker, wearing protection equipment, prepares to remove the body of Eldon Cascais, who according to relatives had lung cancer and died at...

A SOS Funeral worker, wearing protection equipment, prepares to remove the body of Eldon Cascais, who according to relatives had lung cancer and died at home after suffering from shortness of breath, cough and fatigue for a week, amid the new coronavirus outbreak May 9. 2020 in Manaus, Brazil.

SOS Funeral workers move a coffin holding the body of an 86-year-old woman who lived by the Negro River and who is suspected of dying...

SOS Funeral workers move a coffin holding the body of an 86-year-old woman who lived by the Negro River and who is suspected of dying of COVID-19, near Manaus, Brazil, Thursday, May 14, 2020. The virus has spread upriver from Manaus, creeping into remote riverside towns and indigenous territories to infect indigenous tribes.

An elderly COVID-19 patient is treated inside a non-invasive ventilation system named the ???Vanessa Capsule??? at the municipal field hospital Gilberto Novaes, May 18, 2020,...

An elderly COVID-19 patient is treated inside a non-invasive ventilation system named the ???Vanessa Capsule??? at the municipal field hospital Gilberto Novaes, May 18, 2020, in Manaus, Brazil. The field hospital set up inside a school currently has nearly 150 beds and is operating near its limit as it treats patients both from the capital and from remote areas of the Amazon.

Emergency workers transfer an elderly patient suspected of having COVID-19 to a hospital, May 13, 2020, in Manaus, Brazil. Although health experts warn that the...

Emergency workers transfer an elderly patient suspected of having COVID-19 to a hospital, May 13, 2020, in Manaus, Brazil. Although health experts warn that the pandemic is far from over in Manaus, or across the country, national polls show adherence to lockdowns and quarantines falling, and a growing percentage of Brazilians are neglecting local leaders??? safety recommendations.

SOS Funeral workers transport by boat the coffin containing the body of a suspected COVID-19 victim that died in a river-side community May 14, 2020,...

SOS Funeral workers transport by boat the coffin containing the body of a suspected COVID-19 victim that died in a river-side community May 14, 2020, near Manaus, Brazil. The victim, an 86-year-old woman, lived by the Negro river, the largest tributary to the Amazon river. The virus has spread upriver from Manaus, creeping into remote riverside towns and indigenous territories to infect indigenous tribes.

People gather outside a bar in Manaus, Brazil Sunday May 24, 2020. Although health experts warn that the pandemic is far from over in Manaus,...

People gather outside a bar in Manaus, Brazil Sunday May 24, 2020. Although health experts warn that the pandemic is far from over in Manaus, or across the country, national polls show adherence to lockdowns and quarantines falling, and a growing percentage of Brazilians are neglecting local leaders??? safety recommendations.

Nurse Janete Vieira, center, and Doctor Daniel Siqueira monitor COVID-19 patients onboard an aircraft as they are transferred from Santo AntÙnio do IÁ· to a...

Nurse Janete Vieira, center, and Doctor Daniel Siqueira monitor COVID-19 patients onboard an aircraft as they are transferred from Santo AntÙnio do IÁ· to a hospital May 19, 2020, in Manaus, Brazil.

Relatives mourns over the body of Luis da Silva, 82, who had pre-existing health conditions and died at home after suffering from shortness of breath,...

Relatives mourns over the body of Luis da Silva, 82, who had pre-existing health conditions and died at home after suffering from shortness of breath, amid the new coronavirus outbreak May 10, 2020, in Manaus, Brazil.

A boy rides his bike at dusk in the Park of Indigenous Nations community, where many residents fell ill with symptoms of the new coronavirus,...

A boy rides his bike at dusk in the Park of Indigenous Nations community, where many residents fell ill with symptoms of the new coronavirus, May 10, 2020 in Manaus, Brazil.

Massive explosions rocked downtown Beirut on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020, flattening much of the port, damaging buildings and blowing out windows and doors as a...

Massive explosions rocked downtown Beirut on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020, flattening much of the port, damaging buildings and blowing out windows and doors as a giant mushroom cloud rose above the capital. The country was already turbulent and the explosion just added tension to the city of Beirut. Witnesses saw many people injured by flying glass and debris. A large amount of ammonium nitrate stored at the port of the city of Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, exploded, causing at least 203 deaths, 6,500 injuries, and US$15 billion in property damage, and leaving an estimated 300,000 people homeless. This series chronicles the days after the explosions.

Massive explosions rocked downtown Beirut on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020, flattening much of the port, damaging buildings and blowing out windows and doors as a...

An injured demonstrator is taken by an ambulance after clashes with police during an anti-government protest, following last week's massive explosion which devastated Beirut, Lebanon,...

An injured demonstrator is taken by an ambulance after clashes with police during an anti-government protest, following last week's massive explosion which devastated Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020.

People remove debris from a house damaged by Tuesday's explosion in the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. Rescue teams were still searching...

People remove debris from a house damaged by Tuesday's explosion in the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. Rescue teams were still searching the rubble of Beirut's port for bodies on Friday, nearly three days after the massive explosion sent a wave of destruction through Lebanon's capital.

A painting hangs on the wall of a heavily damaged room in the Sursock Palace after the explosion in the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday,...

A painting hangs on the wall of a heavily damaged room in the Sursock Palace after the explosion in the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020. The level of destruction from the massive explosion at Beirut's port last week is ten times worse than what 15 years of civil war did.

Demonstrators protest against the political elite and the government after last Tuesday's deadly explosion at the Beirut port which devastated large parts of the capital,...

Demonstrators protest against the political elite and the government after last Tuesday's deadly explosion at the Beirut port which devastated large parts of the capital, in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Aug. 9, 2020.

Two men sit on the destroyed balcony of a building facing the site of last week's massive explosion in the port of Beirut, Lebanon, Friday,...

Two men sit on the destroyed balcony of a building facing the site of last week's massive explosion in the port of Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Aug. 14, 2020.

A broken statue from the 19th century lays on the floor of the Sursock Palace, heavily damaged after the explosion in the seaport of Beirut,...

A broken statue from the 19th century lays on the floor of the Sursock Palace, heavily damaged after the explosion in the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020. The Sursock palace, built in 1860 in the heart of historical Beirut on top of a hill overlooking the now-obliterated port, is home to beautiful works of arts, Ottoman-era furniture, marble and paintings from Italy — the result of more than three long-lasting generations of the Sursock family.

A candle lights a makeshift Christian altar next to a destroyed building, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020, where according to neighbors, four people were killed after...

A candle lights a makeshift Christian altar next to a destroyed building, Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020, where according to neighbors, four people were killed after it collapsed in the Aug. 4 explosion in Beirut, Lebanon.

Syrian refugee Moussa Mahmoud showers among the rubble of a house destroyed in the Aug. 4 explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Aug. 17, 2020. Mahmoud...

Syrian refugee Moussa Mahmoud showers among the rubble of a house destroyed in the Aug. 4 explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Aug. 17, 2020. Mahmoud and his family, who fled the bloody civil war in their country, found themselves displaced again after their house was destroyed in the Beirut port explosion.

People clash with police during a protest against the political elites and the government after this week's deadly explosion at Beirut port which devastated large...

People clash with police during a protest against the political elites and the government after this week's deadly explosion at Beirut port which devastated large parts of the capital in Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020.

Thousands of migrants headed for Greece after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government said that it would no longer prevent migrants and refugees from crossing over...

Thousands of migrants headed for Greece after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government said that it would no longer prevent migrants and refugees from crossing over to European Union territory. Greece deployed riot police and border guards to repel people trying to enter the country from the sea or by land. Migrants walk next to an inflatable boat before attempting to enter Greece from Turkey by crossing the Maritsa river near Edirne, Turkey, late Sunday, March 8, 2020.

Migrants gather on the shore of the Maritsa river before attempting to enter Greece from Turkey near Edirne, Turkey, late Sunday, March 8, 2020. Thousands...

Migrants gather on the shore of the Maritsa river before attempting to enter Greece from Turkey near Edirne, Turkey, late Sunday, March 8, 2020. Thousands of migrants headed for Greece after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government said last week that it would no longer prevent migrants and refugees from crossing over to European Union territory. Greece deployed riot police and border guards to repel people trying to enter the country from the sea or by land.

Children from Syria sleep outside at a bus station in Edirne, near the Turkish-Greek border, Saturday, March 7, 2020. Thousands of refugees and other migrants...

Children from Syria sleep outside at a bus station in Edirne, near the Turkish-Greek border, Saturday, March 7, 2020. Thousands of refugees and other migrants have been trying to get into EU member Greece in the past week after Turkey declared that its previously guarded borders with Europe were open.

Migrants gather at a makeshift camp near the Pazarkule border gate at the Turkish-Greek border in Edirne region, on Saturday, March 7, 2020. A group...

Migrants gather at a makeshift camp near the Pazarkule border gate at the Turkish-Greek border in Edirne region, on Saturday, March 7, 2020. A group of migrants on Saturday tried to bring down a fence in a desperate attempt to bust through the border into Greece while others hurled rocks at Greek police. Greek authorities responded, firing volleys of tear gas at the youths.

Migrants are seen through a smoke as they set a fire between the Turkish-Greek border in Pazarkule, Turkey, on Friday, March 6, 2020. Clashes erupted...

Migrants are seen through a smoke as they set a fire between the Turkish-Greek border in Pazarkule, Turkey, on Friday, March 6, 2020. Clashes erupted anew on the Greek-Turkish border as migrants attempted to push through into Greece, while the European Union's foreign ministers held an emergency meeting to discuss the situation on the border and in Syria, where Turkish troops are fighting.

Migrants gather at an abandoned building in Edirne, near the Turkish-Greek border on Friday, March 6, 2020. Thousands of refugees and other asylum-seekers have tried...

Migrants gather at an abandoned building in Edirne, near the Turkish-Greek border on Friday, March 6, 2020. Thousands of refugees and other asylum-seekers have tried to enter Greece from the land and sea in the week since Turkey declared its previously guarded gateways to Europe open.

A family from Afghanistan gather at an abandoned building in Edirne, near the Turkish-Greek border on Friday, March 6, 2020. Thousands of refugees and other...

A family from Afghanistan gather at an abandoned building in Edirne, near the Turkish-Greek border on Friday, March 6, 2020. Thousands of refugees and other asylum-seekers have tried to enter Greece from the land and sea in the week since Turkey declared its previously guarded gateways to Europe open.

A migrant throws a stone at Greek riot police during clashes between the Kastanies border gate, Greece and the Pazarkule border gate, Turkey, at the...

A migrant throws a stone at Greek riot police during clashes between the Kastanies border gate, Greece and the Pazarkule border gate, Turkey, at the Turkish-Greek border in Edirne region, on Saturday, March 7, 2020. A group of migrants on Saturday tried to bring down a fence in a desperate attempt to bust through the border into Greece while others hurled rocks at Greek police. Greek authorities responded, firing volleys of tear gas at the youths.

Migrants try to damage the border fence on the Turkish side during clashes with the Greek riot police and army at the Turkish-Greek border in...

Migrants try to damage the border fence on the Turkish side during clashes with the Greek riot police and army at the Turkish-Greek border in Pazarkule, Turkey, Saturday, March 7, 2020. Thousands of migrants headed for Turkey's land border with Greece after Erdogan's government said last week that it would no longer prevent migrants and refugees from crossing over to EU territory.

Migrants are seen on the ground in a field between the Turkish-Greek border in Pazarkule, Turkey, on Friday, March 6, 2020. Clashes erupted anew on...

Migrants are seen on the ground in a field between the Turkish-Greek border in Pazarkule, Turkey, on Friday, March 6, 2020. Clashes erupted anew on the Greek-Turkish border as migrants attempted to push through into Greece, while the European Union's foreign ministers held an emergency meeting to discuss the situation on the border and in Syria, where Turkish troops are fighting.

Migrants try to damage a border fence during clashes with the Greek riot police and army at the Turkish-Greek border in Pazarkule, Edirne region, on...

Migrants try to damage a border fence during clashes with the Greek riot police and army at the Turkish-Greek border in Pazarkule, Edirne region, on Saturday, March 7, 2020. A group of migrants on Saturday tried to bring down a fence in a desperate attempt to bust through the border into Greece while others hurled rocks at Greek police. Greek authorities responded, firing volleys of tear gas at the youths.

A migrant climbs a fence during clashes with the Greek riot police at the Turkish-Greek border in Pazarkule, Edirne region, Turkey, Friday, March 6, 2020....

A migrant climbs a fence during clashes with the Greek riot police at the Turkish-Greek border in Pazarkule, Edirne region, Turkey, Friday, March 6, 2020. Clashes erupted anew on the Greek-Turkish border Friday as migrants attempted to push through into Greece, while the European Union's foreign ministers held an emergency meeting to discuss the situation on the border and in Syria, where Turkish troops are fighting.

1 / 42

Third Place

Mads Nissen/Politiken/ Panos Pictures

Story: Brazil has one of the the world's highest rates of COVID-19 infections, at over 7.5 million, and a staggering death toll of nearly 200.000...

Story: Brazil has one of the the world's highest rates of COVID-19 infections, at over 7.5 million, and a staggering death toll of nearly 200.000 people. In the poor and densely populated favelas of São Paulo, up to half of all people have suffered from the debilitating epidemic that their own President Bolsonaro has down-played as a "small flu". This image: Rows of freshly dug graves at the Vila Formosa Cemetery, one of the largest in Latin America, and the site where many of the city's victims of COVID-19 are buried. The gravediggers are working hard to keep up with the death toll that continues to rise. New areas are taken into use and old graves are being dug up in advance, so that they are ready when the vans with the virus’ latest victims arrive.

Doctors from Samu (emergency mobile care service) attend to Balbina de Paula Santos, who lives with her daughter in a house in Campo Grande. Despite...

Doctors from Samu (emergency mobile care service) attend to Balbina de Paula Santos, who lives with her daughter in a house in Campo Grande. Despite her 99 years, she's been healthy and of sound mind,until a month ago when she started coughing and displaying other symptoms of COVID-19. The doctors suspect she has the virus and are arranging for her to be taken to an isolation unit at a hospital in Campo Grande.

Leonardo Runyo (35), wearing PPE to protect himself from the novel coronavirus, stands in the yard of a home in the Paraisópolis favela. He is...

Leonardo Runyo (35), wearing PPE to protect himself from the novel coronavirus, stands in the yard of a home in the Paraisópolis favela. He is with a team of volunteers are going from home-to-home testing residents in the crowded favela in order to get an idea of the infection rate. 120,000 people live in the cramped favela in the middle of São Paulo. According to the latest study 49 percent of the population in the favela either have been or still are infected by COVID-19. That’s nearly 60,000 infected people on a small plot of land in the middle of a megacity.

Wards in an indoor stadium temporarily converted into a field hospital as authorities try to cope with the rising number of COVID-19 patients in São...

Wards in an indoor stadium temporarily converted into a field hospital as authorities try to cope with the rising number of COVID-19 patients in São Paulo. The site is named Hospital de Campanha Pedro Dell'Antonia (Santo Andre) and has 100 beds.

A nurse is attending a critically ill patient who is suffering from COVID-19 in the intensive care unit of the Hospital Geral do Mandaqui.

Medics from a Samu (emergency mobile care service) ambulance attending Jorge Augusto de Lima, a homeless man with suspected COVID-19 in Campo Grande.

Members of the Ballet Paraisópolis practice their skills while wearing face masks at a local community center in the favela. Growing poverty and the persistence...

Members of the Ballet Paraisópolis practice their skills while wearing face masks at a local community center in the favela. Growing poverty and the persistence of large urban slums in cities like Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo have allowed the virus to spread quickly through cramped homes and districts. Many poorer citizens who get infected are unable to isolate due to precarious jobs and the need to feed their families. Places like Paraisopólis, an overcrowded slum in southwestern São Paulo which is surrounded by affluent areas, have become epicentres of the spread of the disease and while a tenth of the city is thought to have been infected, the rate here is almost 50 percent.

Maria do Carmo Rodrigues (66) is critically ill, suffering from COVID-19, lies in a bed in the intensive care unit of the Hospital Geral do Mandaqui.

A young man wearing his protective gear is looking out over the densely populated São Paulo favela Paraisópolis. He and other volunteers are testing their...

A young man wearing his protective gear is looking out over the densely populated São Paulo favela Paraisópolis. He and other volunteers are testing their fellow citizens for antibodies and active COVID-19. According to the latest study 49 percent of the population here either have been or still are infected by COVID-19. That’s nearly 60,000 infected people on a small plot of land in the middle of a megacity.

Ronald Apaza places a hand on the coffin of his father Simon Apaza during the funeral of the 81 year old man, the pillar of...

Ronald Apaza places a hand on the coffin of his father Simon Apaza during the funeral of the 81 year old man, the pillar of the family, who died of COVID-19. It all happened so fast and the family still can’t comprehend what has happened. Before the children leave, Ronald looks at two freshly dug graves with no flowers on them. He picks up two roses from his own father's grave and lays one on each of the two graves. “It’s like they don’t have a family,” he says. "But somewhere there is always someone who thinks of you."

85-year-old Rosa Luzia Lunardi is embraced by nurse Adriana Silva da Costa Souza, the first hug she receives in five months.

Maria Augusta Mendes, 89, is embraced by Alex de Gama who is one of the volunteers helping the many lonely people at the old age home Viva Bem.

Alzira Silva, 100, meets her daughter Dulcineta da Silva for the first time in five months.

Dorival dos Santos, 86, is embraced by her son-in-law Marivaldo Lopes dos Santos.

Djanira Nunes Da Silva, 81, is hugged by Geraldo Gordo who is one of the volunteers helping the many lonely people at the old age home Viva Bem.

Hermes de Souza Lima, 75, is embraced by Felipe Camargo, 27, who is one of the volunteers helping the many lonely people at the old...

Hermes de Souza Lima, 75, is embraced by Felipe Camargo, 27, who is one of the volunteers helping the many lonely people at the old age home Viva Bem. This is the first hug he has received in five months.

Story: Infections, hospitalisations and the death toll are breaking all records in December, leaving Denmark’s intensive care units under extreme pressure. For ten months now,...

Story: Infections, hospitalisations and the death toll are breaking all records in December, leaving Denmark’s intensive care units under extreme pressure. For ten months now, on day and nightshifts, doctors and nurses have placed themselves in the frontline trying to keep their fellow citizens alive. This image: POWERLESS. Nurse Line Colding Paulsen calls for help from a colleague who is standing unprotected outside the isolation ward. Through the mask, 81-year-old Erik Nielsen gets the maximum amount of oxygen possible. And yet it isn´t enough. Blood tests and the X-rays of the lungs also points towards the same dire situation. Line Colding Paulsen stays with Erik Nielsen, and tries to prepare him with a calm voice: “The virus has got a firm grip on you, Mr. Nielsen. I’m not sure we can help you through this… ”

24/7. Patients on ventilators need close monitoring around the clock. At the same time, the unpredictable virus and the complicated ventilator systems require extensive specialist...

24/7. Patients on ventilators need close monitoring around the clock. At the same time, the unpredictable virus and the complicated ventilator systems require extensive specialist training and a strong mental constitution from the staff. In the reddish night lighting, nurses Anne Korsgaard and Signe Mudita Rasmussen each attend their patients. Despite the great effort, none of these patients managed to survive.

CRISIS. Service assistant Maria Garfield Christensen and her colleague bite their teeth together as they enter the chapel with another victim of the covid-19 virus....

CRISIS. Service assistant Maria Garfield Christensen and her colleague bite their teeth together as they enter the chapel with another victim of the covid-19 virus. The death toll in Denmark has risen sharply, which is also reflected here in the chapel where almost a third of the 24 dead are covid-19 infected. Never before have the two seasoned service assistants seen so many dead here at once. They both fear that it’s far from over.

ALONE. The illness puts a heavy pressure on muscles and lung tissue, but also on the psyche as one’s own death suddenly comes very close....

ALONE. The illness puts a heavy pressure on muscles and lung tissue, but also on the psyche as one’s own death suddenly comes very close. Since almost no visitors are allowed, the staff often end up listening to the patients brightest memories and their darkest thoughts. An elderly gentleman is lying here with an external ventilator giving him oxygen. Without it, he would not be able to survive long.

FIGTHING. He still does not know from whom, where or when he got the virus. But Lauge Philipsen knows how it feels. Getting 60 liters...

FIGTHING. He still does not know from whom, where or when he got the virus. But Lauge Philipsen knows how it feels. Getting 60 liters of air blown into the lungs - and still gasping for breath. Feeling a normal, healthy 50-year-old body shrink day by day while hoses, wires, and machines keep it alive. “The body feels like one big bruise to lie on. I am immensely scared all the way into my soul. All the thoughts… It’s so frightening that I, as the strong man I thought of myself, can reach the point where I am really afraid of whether it should go one way or the other, ” he says.

CONNECTED. An elderly woman with covid-19 has just been transferred to the isolation ward, and the paramedic who has been in charge of the transport...

CONNECTED. An elderly woman with covid-19 has just been transferred to the isolation ward, and the paramedic who has been in charge of the transport helps to dis- and reconnect the many instruments to her fragile body. Often patients come to the intensive care unit at short notice. Some by ambulance from home or from other wards in the hospital.

HOPE. Jan Klitgaard is 63 years old, has worked in the Ministry of Finance for 14 years and was looking forward to retiring on 1...

HOPE. Jan Klitgaard is 63 years old, has worked in the Ministry of Finance for 14 years and was looking forward to retiring on 1 January 2021. Instead, the New Year had to be celebrated with oxygen hoses and shortness of breath. He has kept a good distance throughout the crisis, but he and his wife have been infected by the grandchildren and are now both suffering from the virus. However, infection rates are slowly moving in the right direction after 14 days in hospital, and just around the corner awaits his much-anticipated retirement life.

HEAVY BURDEN. In the dim night light, nurse Anne Korsgaard stands by a patient on a ventilator. Patients must be turned over frequently for the...

HEAVY BURDEN. In the dim night light, nurse Anne Korsgaard stands by a patient on a ventilator. Patients must be turned over frequently for the sake of both muscle, respiration and body circulation.

CORONA CLOUDS. The patients in the intensive care unit require full monitoring around the clock, so at night a reddish work light is switched on...

CORONA CLOUDS. The patients in the intensive care unit require full monitoring around the clock, so at night a reddish work light is switched on to give the patients as much peace as possible, even if they are not conscious. An X-ray of the lungs of a man in his 60s has just been taken and it looks worrying. A nurse calls the white tissue damage that is seen on the image "white corona clouds".

LAST GOODBYE. Holding his father’s hand, Martin Nielsen sits by his side as he takes his last breath. The virus’s grip on 81-year-old Erik Nielsen...

LAST GOODBYE. Holding his father’s hand, Martin Nielsen sits by his side as he takes his last breath. The virus’s grip on 81-year-old Erik Nielsen eventually became too strong. Martin Nielsen hurried to the hospital, but unfortunately could not bring his mother, Erik Nielsen's spouse for 53 years with him. She's at home. Infected by the virus.

In 2019, she was elected Prime Minister of a country where liberty and individual freedom are considered fundamental pillars of society. But this Friday, PM...

In 2019, she was elected Prime Minister of a country where liberty and individual freedom are considered fundamental pillars of society. But this Friday, PM Mette Frederiksen - a little over six months after her appointment – is about to constrain exactly these values. From a podium on live TV, she asks Danish people to stop shaking hands, hug or kiss. ”It will affect us all”, she says at the press conference and predicts, "I think my own calendar is going to look quite different from now on".

The crisis has just begun and from every corner of Europe, the heads of state are appearing for a meeting in the European Council, France’s...

The crisis has just begun and from every corner of Europe, the heads of state are appearing for a meeting in the European Council, France’s president Macron in the middle. It is still unfamiliar for everyone to meet like this. One country’s representatives fumble with the camera, another can't get the sound working, while a third has forgotten to put it on mute, so the president's small talk can be heard in the background; until his European colleagues start calling out his name, shouting: "Mute, mute!"

Officials gather around PM Mette Frederiksen on the red carpet in the Prime Minister’s office after a meeting with the press. How did we do?...

Officials gather around PM Mette Frederiksen on the red carpet in the Prime Minister’s office after a meeting with the press. How did we do? What questions were raised? What do we need to check up on? Everyone in the group is free to speak but in the end, one of them will cut through and conclude.

On March 11, 2020, the government takes the decisive and historical decision to shuts down the country. Public employees are sent home. Institutions, schools and...

On March 11, 2020, the government takes the decisive and historical decision to shuts down the country. Public employees are sent home. Institutions, schools and kindergartens are closed. New restrictions are imposed. The heavy decision is taken around the table in Egetraesvaerelset, at the Prime Minister’s Office, after numerous meetings throughout the day. Here the Prime Minister is sitting with her hands folded in front of her surrounded by her closest inner-circle of the government.

Only few people in Denmark realise what is about to happen. In a couple of hours their lives will be turned upside down. It’s March...

Only few people in Denmark realise what is about to happen. In a couple of hours their lives will be turned upside down. It’s March 11, 2020, and while her staff prepare the details of the big shut down, the Prime Minister decides to leave the office. She puts on her jacket, walks down the stairs, stuffs headphones in her ears and turns out past the King's Gate. She keeps walking. Around her the city is still filled with life, people hang out in cafes, drink beer and meet friends, unaware of how much is about to change.

The authorities fear new mutations of the virus from Denmark's many mink farms, mutations that could ultimately destroy the possibilities for a new life-saving vaccine....

The authorities fear new mutations of the virus from Denmark's many mink farms, mutations that could ultimately destroy the possibilities for a new life-saving vaccine. At a press conference, demands are tabled for all Danish mink to be culled immediately, which later turns out to be against the law. The opposition is outraged. In the middle of the biggest crisis of her political life, PM Mette Frederiksen puts on protective gear for a meeting with one of the affected farmers, Peter Hindbo, in his empty mink barn.

A nearly three-hour video conference is over. It's late in the evening. The staff have already eaten and some have gone home. But a person...

A nearly three-hour video conference is over. It's late in the evening. The staff have already eaten and some have gone home. But a person has been kind enough to order a takeaway salad for the boss. PM Mette Frederiksen sits alone at the table in the office with her dinner wrapped in plastic. For a short moment she can relax.

The Prime Minister enters the hallway where a crowd of men in dark suits are waiting for her. The government is about to begin another...

The Prime Minister enters the hallway where a crowd of men in dark suits are waiting for her. The government is about to begin another press conference, where they will announce the latest restrictions: The assembly ban for social gatherings is tightened to a maximum of 10 people. Malls, hairdressers, dentists, restaurants, bars, cafes, nightclubs and sports facilities will also have to close now.

A press conference without the press. After the assembly ban is tightened to a maximum of 10 people, the prime minister is holding her briefings...

A press conference without the press. After the assembly ban is tightened to a maximum of 10 people, the prime minister is holding her briefings face to face with… no one. Where there are usually journalists, photographers and a jumble of cables and microphones, there is almost nothing left. And journalists have to ask their questions through a screen.

“We are in unfamiliar territory. We haven't tried anything like this before. Are we going to make mistakes? Yes, we Will. Am I going to...

“We are in unfamiliar territory. We haven't tried anything like this before. Are we going to make mistakes? Yes, we Will. Am I going to make mistakes? Yes, I Will.". The words of PM Mette Frederiksen came at the first press briefings when Denmark was shut down. Now a month later she is tired, exhausted and about to make another decision that feels even heavier on her shoulders - the slowl and controlled, yet risky, re-opening of the country.

1 / 40

Honorable Mention

Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Minneapolis Star Tribune

Captain Tom Gilles walked through the smoke from the fire at the Napa Auto store on University. Several buildings near the MIdway were either damaged...

Captain Tom Gilles walked through the smoke from the fire at the Napa Auto store on University. Several buildings near the MIdway were either damaged or set on fire. Protesters in St. Paul near Target clashed with police on the third day.

Mourners gathered around, embraced and prayed for a man, who did not wish to be identified, as he was overcome with grief outside the memorial...

Mourners gathered around, embraced and prayed for a man, who did not wish to be identified, as he was overcome with grief outside the memorial service for George Floyd in Minneapolis Thursday for George Floyd at the Frank J. Lindquist Sanctuary on the campus of North Central University.

Those in attendance who favored a motion against refugee resettlement stood in the back and made their opinions known. ] Beltrami County is the latest...

Those in attendance who favored a motion against refugee resettlement stood in the back and made their opinions known. ] Beltrami County is the latest in Minnesota to vote on refugee resettlement -- and may be the first in Minnesota to ban it under the new Trump adminstration policy.RICHARD TSONG-TAATARII ¥ [email protected]

Carla Gillespie with her son Dylan visited her mother, Evelyn Solberg at the Jones-Harrison Residence. It was the first time families have been allowed to...

Carla Gillespie with her son Dylan visited her mother, Evelyn Solberg at the Jones-Harrison Residence. It was the first time families have been allowed to visit residents inside nursing homes while masked up and behind a plastic shield since March.] RICHARD TSONG-TAATARII ¥ [email protected]

The Reiner family of Edina is among those personally experiencing COVID-19, with father Josh stuck isolated in the basement with symptoms and a confirmed infection,...

The Reiner family of Edina is among those personally experiencing COVID-19, with father Josh stuck isolated in the basement with symptoms and a confirmed infection, and mother and three daughters separated upstairs, just waiting for test results and symptoms themselves. He is on a day 10 of a 14 day quarantine. The most difficult part for him has been the inability to be in physical contact with his loved ones.

Connie Duffney, 68, who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and is confined to a wheelchair said she got so frustrated with their slow response times...

Connie Duffney, 68, who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and is confined to a wheelchair said she got so frustrated with their slow response times at North Ridge that she set a timer on her watch and began tracking how long it took them to respond to her calls for help. Once, her oxygen tank was nearly depleted and it took them two hours to arrive, she said. ÒIt was like a black hole,Ó Duffney said of the emergency call system. ÒI could have been on the floor and they would have left me there to die."

Most protesters were peaceful while a few started destroying police property. Peaceful protesters pleaded with those who resorted to violence to stop. Police secured the...

Most protesters were peaceful while a few started destroying police property. Peaceful protesters pleaded with those who resorted to violence to stop. Police secured the precinct from further property damage with riot police and tear gas.] George Lloyd, a middle-aged man died after a confrontation with Minneapolis on Monday evening. A bystander video that started circulating sometime after the incident appeared to show the man pleading with officers that he couldn't breathe as one officer knelt on his neck.RICHARD TSONG-TAATARII • [email protected]

Most protesters were peaceful while a few started destroying police property. Peaceful protesters pleaded with those who resorted to violence to stop. Police secured the...

Protestors clashed with police and were pushed back with rubber bullets and tear gas near the 5th Precinct. ]RICHARD TSONG-TAATARII ¥ [email protected]

Protesters expressed their voices at a gas station near Washington and 35W. ]RICHARD TSONG-TAATARII • [email protected]

This activist tried to deescalate a confrontation with police. Protesters expressed their voices at a gas station near Washington and 35W. ]RICHARD TSONG-TAATARII • [email protected]

Protesters expressed their voices at a gas station near Washington and 35W.

Supporters of George Floyd made a visit to both the now famous mural and black and white portrait where he was arrested and killed in police custody,

George Floyd's friends of the family addressed supporters after the funeral.] Funeral service for George Floyd at the Frank J. Lindquist Sanctuary on the campus...

George Floyd's friends of the family addressed supporters after the funeral.] Funeral service for George Floyd at the Frank J. Lindquist Sanctuary on the campus of North Central University. RICHARD TSONG-TAATARII • [email protected]

Tina Barbeau, bottle feeds her friend's son Hakeem, who was born on Christmas last year. Hakeem and her mother ended up staying at a shelter....

Tina Barbeau, bottle feeds her friend's son Hakeem, who was born on Christmas last year. Hakeem and her mother ended up staying at a shelter. What began in March as a small camp consisting of about a couple dozen homeless adults has now swelled to more than 100 residents in tents. Known as "Camp Quarantine," the fast-growing encampment has raised alarms over the health of the camp residents amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The tipi is place of refuge for women and children at the encampment. "I knew my people were here," says Tammey Skinaway about the beauty...

The tipi is place of refuge for women and children at the encampment. "I knew my people were here," says Tammey Skinaway about the beauty of having a tipi at the encampment. This is part of a developing narrative of how the homeless encampment at Powderhorn Park is functioning amid growing controversy about safety in the neighborhood.

Goku Jones, 19 months, cries after awaking from a nap. Minnesota state and local officials have scrambled to expand emergency shelter beds for people who...

Goku Jones, 19 months, cries after awaking from a nap. Minnesota state and local officials have scrambled to expand emergency shelter beds for people who are homeless, but they are facing resistance from the very people they are trying to help. That's because a large number of homeless people are steering clear of shelters because of the coronavirus.

Jennifer Hernandez attaches blankets to the back of the tent to insulate it from the cold. Minnesota state and local officials have scrambled to expand...

Jennifer Hernandez attaches blankets to the back of the tent to insulate it from the cold. Minnesota state and local officials have scrambled to expand emergency shelter beds for people who are homeless, but they are facing resistance from the very people they are trying to help. That's because a large number of homeless people are steering clear of shelters because of the coronavirus.

Volunteer Megumi Rierson hands out food and drinks to the the campers during dinner hour. Minneapolis park leaders on Wednesday said they would allow homeless...

Volunteer Megumi Rierson hands out food and drinks to the the campers during dinner hour. Minneapolis park leaders on Wednesday said they would allow homeless residents to set up camp in local parks, a response to encampments in Powderhorn Park that have grown to more than 200 tents in recent days.

Julia Rainey,29 left and her mother Tonya Rainey live next to each other in a tent compound. Both women struggle with chronic homelessness having spent...

Julia Rainey,29 left and her mother Tonya Rainey live next to each other in a tent compound. Both women struggle with chronic homelessness having spent time at the Wall, the Hiawatha encampment, and now at Powder Horn.] Developing narrative of how the homeless encampment at Powderhorn Park is functioning amid growing controversy about safety in the neighborhood. RICHARD TSONG-TAATARII ¥ [email protected]

JennieMae Hernandez plays on a tree next to their tent.] Minnesota state and local officials have scrambled to expand emergency shelter beds for people who...

JennieMae Hernandez plays on a tree next to their tent.] Minnesota state and local officials have scrambled to expand emergency shelter beds for people who are homeless, but they are facing resistance from the very people they are trying to help. That's because a large number of homeless people are steering clear of shelters because of the coronavirus.RICHARD TSONG-TAATARII ¥ [email protected]

Amber Holmes plays with her pet rabbit which she found abandoned near the camp. What began in March as a small camp consisting of about...

Amber Holmes plays with her pet rabbit which she found abandoned near the camp. What began in March as a small camp consisting of about a couple dozen homeless adults has now swelled to more than 100 residents in tents. Known as "Camp Quarantine," the fast-growing encampment has raised alarms over the health of the camp residents amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Virginia Roy, 54 and enrolled in White Earth Reservation wipes some face paint in the shape of a red hand as she stands in front...

Virginia Roy, 54 and enrolled in White Earth Reservation wipes some face paint in the shape of a red hand as she stands in front of a tipi, a safe space for women. The red hand is a symbol for missing and murdered indigenous women. Roy lost her housing about a year ago.

In the village of Bullhead,SD, Jamie Hertel is working quarantine security and watching the home of a household under lockdown. He is paid by the...

In the village of Bullhead,SD, Jamie Hertel is working quarantine security and watching the home of a household under lockdown. He is paid by the Standing Rock Tribe to dissuade people from mingling or leaving heir home if they are under quarantine. The Tribe helps with shopping for food and essentials during the 14-day period.

Sharon Eagle looks out the window of her McLaughlin, SD home as her grandkids Tucker Eagle,15, and Teddi Redstone,8 gather around the dining room table....

Sharon Eagle looks out the window of her McLaughlin, SD home as her grandkids Tucker Eagle,15, and Teddi Redstone,8 gather around the dining room table. Sharon and her husband have managed to avoid catching the virus by maintaining social distancing.

An Standing Rock Tribe ambulance participates in the funeral procession of Jesse "Jay" and Cheryl Taken Alive who both died of Covid-19.

Indian Health Services Ft. Yates Hospital director Dr. Amber Tincher, left, and CEO Jana Gipp announce the rollout of the Moderna vaccine on KLND, the...

Indian Health Services Ft. Yates Hospital director Dr. Amber Tincher, left, and CEO Jana Gipp announce the rollout of the Moderna vaccine on KLND, the high power radio station on the Standing Rock reservation. The tribal council decided that after health workers were vaccinated, elders fluent in the Lakota language would be next in line.

Waniya Locke, who calls herself a Lakota language teacher and activist makes an elderberry syrup which she will deliver free of charge to tribal members...

Waniya Locke, who calls herself a Lakota language teacher and activist makes an elderberry syrup which she will deliver free of charge to tribal members suffering or trying to prevent the onset of Covid-19 symptoms. Locke fundraises through the internet for the ingredients involved in the homeopathic remedy.

Shannon Brown helps deliver evening meals for the Boys and Girls Club in McLaughlin, SD. The meals are essential in helping minimize food insecurity for...

Shannon Brown helps deliver evening meals for the Boys and Girls Club in McLaughlin, SD. The meals are essential in helping minimize food insecurity for children in the villages on the reservation partly because of the economic downturn. caused by Covid-19..

Sisters Antania and Anaya Mellette grieve for their uncle Jared Mellette. The two sisters were especially close to Jared who died in a Minneapolis hospital...

Sisters Antania and Anaya Mellette grieve for their uncle Jared Mellette. The two sisters were especially close to Jared who died in a Minneapolis hospital at the age of 24 of Covid-19 complications.

Nurse practitioner Christine Rosheim looks in on Covid-19 patient Stephan Crawford Taken Alive who has lost four close relatives to Covid-19 including his aunt, two...

Nurse practitioner Christine Rosheim looks in on Covid-19 patient Stephan Crawford Taken Alive who has lost four close relatives to Covid-19 including his aunt, two brothers and a sister-in-law

The death of husband and wife Jesse "Jay" and Cheryl Taken Alive delivered a major blow to the clan and the Standing Rock Tribe. They...

The death of husband and wife Jesse "Jay" and Cheryl Taken Alive delivered a major blow to the clan and the Standing Rock Tribe. They were buried on a family plot south of Cannon Ball, ND overlooking the Missouri River. Jay was a fluent speaker of the Lakota language and would have been given priority for the vaccine after health workers. His wife grew up in a Lakota language first household.

Former Standing Rock Chairman Jesse "Jay" Taken Alive and his wife Cheryl were buried next to each other in the family plot overlooking the Missouri...

Former Standing Rock Chairman Jesse "Jay" Taken Alive and his wife Cheryl were buried next to each other in the family plot overlooking the Missouri River just south of Cannon Ball, ND. Ina and At mean mother and father respectively in the Lakota language.

At the funeral of his parents, Jesse "Jay" and Cheryl Taken Alive, son Ira Taken Alive and his sister Jessie Taken Alive Rencountre gathered some...

At the funeral of his parents, Jesse "Jay" and Cheryl Taken Alive, son Ira Taken Alive and his sister Jessie Taken Alive Rencountre gathered some flowers after the internment ceremony was finished.

1 / 41

Honorable Mention

Rodrigo Abd/Associated Press

Cemetery workers carry the coffin of a person who died of COVID-19, during the burial in cemetery “Martires 19 de Julio”, in Comas, outskirts from...

Cemetery workers carry the coffin of a person who died of COVID-19, during the burial in cemetery “Martires 19 de Julio”, in Comas, outskirts from Lima, Peru, Wednesday, July 8, 2020. Peruvian authorities and the Pan American Health Organization are investigating whether the country failed to classify just over 27,000 deaths as caused by the novel coronavirus, a figure that could more than double the country’s official death toll from the disease.

A woman covered with a Peruvian flag cries after having swallowed tear gas launched by riot police on protesters who were trying to march to...

A woman covered with a Peruvian flag cries after having swallowed tear gas launched by riot police on protesters who were trying to march to Congress in a demonstration against the removal of President Martin Vizcarra, in Lima, Peru, Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020. On Tuesday, Peru swore in Manuel Merino as Peru's new president, after the legislature voted Vizcarra out of office Monday.

Siblings Estiben AquiÒo, 4, Estefany Aquino, 11, and Javier Aquino, 14, eat dinner illuminated by a candle in their home in the Nueva Esperanza neighborhood...

Siblings Estiben AquiÒo, 4, Estefany Aquino, 11, and Javier Aquino, 14, eat dinner illuminated by a candle in their home in the Nueva Esperanza neighborhood that has no access to electricity, in Lima, Peru, Monday, June 8, 2020.

Brother Ronald Marin, a 30-year-old layworker from Venezuela, prays over the coffin that contains the remains of Keizer Quinones and Sarai Araujo's unborn daughter, at...

Brother Ronald Marin, a 30-year-old layworker from Venezuela, prays over the coffin that contains the remains of Keizer Quinones and Sarai Araujo's unborn daughter, at a burial service in the "Martires 19 de Julio" cemetery in Comas, on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, Tuesday, July 21, 2020. Marin is one of the few Catholic Church representatives who administers funerals in the cemetery far from the capital's center that looks like a miniature city wedged between two desert hills.

Olinda Tafur, 20, lies on an examination table as she waits to be seen by obstetrician Dr. Osvaldo Sierra, inside a red tent set up...

Olinda Tafur, 20, lies on an examination table as she waits to be seen by obstetrician Dr. Osvaldo Sierra, inside a red tent set up in the emergency area of the National Perinatal and Maternal Institute to receive women in labor who are infected with COVID-19 , in Lima, Peru, Wednesday, July 29, 2020. Just before giving birth to her first child, Tafur learned that she had tested positive for the new coronavirus upon arriving with labor pains to the emergency area of the Institute.

Harpist and cemetery worker Charlie Juarez plays music as Gregoria Zumaeta, left, mourns the death of her brothers Jorge Zumaeta, 50, and Miguel Zumaeta, 54,...

Harpist and cemetery worker Charlie Juarez plays music as Gregoria Zumaeta, left, mourns the death of her brothers Jorge Zumaeta, 50, and Miguel Zumaeta, 54, who died of COVID-19, at the Nueva Esperanza cemetery on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, Tuesday, May 26, 2020.

Mourners embrace as they wait to see Diego Maradona lying in state outside the presidential palace in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Nov. 26, 2020. The...

Mourners embrace as they wait to see Diego Maradona lying in state outside the presidential palace in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Nov. 26, 2020. The Argentine soccer great who led his country to the 1986 World Cup died the day before at the age of 60.

Relatives pour beer into the tomb of Victor Gaspar, who died of COVID-19 complications, during his burial at the Nueva Esperanza cemetery on the outskirts...

Relatives pour beer into the tomb of Victor Gaspar, who died of COVID-19 complications, during his burial at the Nueva Esperanza cemetery on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, Thursday, May 28, 2020.

A worker wearing protective gear cleans a window as a nurse tends to a patient inside the intensive care unit for people infected with the...

A worker wearing protective gear cleans a window as a nurse tends to a patient inside the intensive care unit for people infected with the coronavirus, at the 2 de Mayo Hospital, in Lima, Peru, April 17, 2020.

As COVID-19 spread quickly through Peru’s Amazon, the Indigenous Shipibo community decided to turn to the wisdom of their ancestors. Hospitals were far away, short...

As COVID-19 spread quickly through Peru’s Amazon, the Indigenous Shipibo community decided to turn to the wisdom of their ancestors. Hospitals were far away, short on doctors and running out of beds. Even if they could get in, many of the ill were too fearful to go, convinced that stepping foot in a hospital would only lead to death. The coronavirus pandemic’s ruthless march through Peru — the country with the world’s highest per-population confirmed COVID-19 mortality rate — has compelled many Indigenous groups to find their own remedies. Decades of under-investment in public health care, combined with skepticism of modern medicine, mean many are not getting standard treatments like oxygen therapy to treat severe virus cases. In the Ucayali region, government rapid response teams deployed to a handful of Indigenous communities have found infection rates as high as 80% through antibody testing. Food and medicine donations have reached only a fraction of the population. Many say the only state presence they have seen is from a group responsible for collecting bodies of the dead.

As COVID-19 spread quickly through Peru’s Amazon, the Indigenous Shipibo community decided to turn to the wisdom of their ancestors. Hospitals were far away, short...

Comando Matico volunteers Mery Fasabi, left, and Isai Eliaquin Sanancino, heat an herbal remedy for a neighbor who has been suffering from COVID-19 symptoms, in...

Comando Matico volunteers Mery Fasabi, left, and Isai Eliaquin Sanancino, heat an herbal remedy for a neighbor who has been suffering from COVID-19 symptoms, in the Shipibo Indigenous community of Pucallpa, in Peru’s Ucayali region, Monday, Aug. 31, 2020. Roberto Wikleff, a Shipibo man, said the 10 doctors, nurses and aides who usually staff a nearby clinic abandoned their posts when the new coronavirus pandemic arrived.

Comando Matico volunteer Isai Eliaquin Sanancino, treats Sara Magin, who suffers from COVID-19 symptoms, applying an ancestral practice of the Indigenous Shipibo, in Pucallpa, in...

Comando Matico volunteer Isai Eliaquin Sanancino, treats Sara Magin, who suffers from COVID-19 symptoms, applying an ancestral practice of the Indigenous Shipibo, in Pucallpa, in Peru’s Ucayali region, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020. Unlike in hospitals, volunteers equipped in full protective gear, get close to patients, giving them words of encouragement and touching them through massage.

Amazonian residents rest in hammocks as they travel on a public boat to Pucallpa, in Peru's Ucayali region, Peru, Monday, Oct. 5, 2020. The Ucayali...

Amazonian residents rest in hammocks as they travel on a public boat to Pucallpa, in Peru's Ucayali region, Peru, Monday, Oct. 5, 2020. The Ucayali region located along a muddy river has long seen periodic dengue outbreaks, though this year's figures are already three times that seen in 2019. In the city of Pucallpa, doctors say they are beginning to encounter patients with the double diagnosis of COVID-19 and dengue.

Family members look in the coffin that contains the remains of Manuela Chavez who died from symptoms related to the new coronavirus at the age...

Family members look in the coffin that contains the remains of Manuela Chavez who died from symptoms related to the new coronavirus at the age of 88, during a burial service in the Shipibo Indigenous community of Pucallpa, in Peru's Ucayali region, Monday, Aug. 31, 2020. The Shipibo have tried to prevent COVID-19's entrance by blocking off roads and isolating themselves.

Illuminated with candles and a cell phone blue light, a doctor examines the lifeless body of Jose Barbaran who is believed to have died from...

Illuminated with candles and a cell phone blue light, a doctor examines the lifeless body of Jose Barbaran who is believed to have died from complications related to the new coronavirus, in a relative's home in Pucallpa, in Peru's Ucayali region, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020.

Corazona Pena's body lies wrapped in plastic by a Peruvian COVID-19 specialized government team in Pucallpa, in Peru's Ucayali region, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020.

Barbaran family members pay their final respects to relative Jose Barbaran who is believed to have died from complications related to the new coronavirus, in...

Barbaran family members pay their final respects to relative Jose Barbaran who is believed to have died from complications related to the new coronavirus, in Palestina, in Peru's Ucayali region, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020.

Children watch a government team remove the body of Susana Cifuentes, who died from symptoms related to the new coronavirus at the age of 71,...

Children watch a government team remove the body of Susana Cifuentes, who died from symptoms related to the new coronavirus at the age of 71, in the Shipibo Indigenous community of Pucallpa, in Peru???s Ucayali region, Monday, Aug. 31, 2020. The Shipibo had tried to prevent COVID-19???s entrance by blocking off roads and isolating themselves. But in May many came down with fevers, coughs, difficulty breathing and headaches.

Gravedigger Rider Sol Sol pushes a wheelbarrow filled with dirt in the cemetery created to bury people who have died from the new coronavirus, along...

Gravedigger Rider Sol Sol pushes a wheelbarrow filled with dirt in the cemetery created to bury people who have died from the new coronavirus, along a remote road known as "Kilometer 20," on the outskirts of the Shipibo Indigenous community of Pucallpa, in Peru's Ucayali region, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020. These days, with the death count lower, the 48-year-old gravedigger is the only man working most days. ???I give thanks to God that I have a job,??? he said.

Mesa RedMesa Redonda is the main wholesale market in Peru’s capital and in 2020 it has been one of the main hotspots of the new...

Mesa RedMesa Redonda is the main wholesale market in Peru’s capital and in 2020 it has been one of the main hotspots of the new coronavirus. At least 300,000 people come daily to buy food or basic goods, and they have kept coming despite the pandemic. For this project the photographer brought a antique wooden camera — a box with a lens and space for a developing lab inside — to take black and white portraits of people who were at the market because they needed to keep living, with or without COVID-19. Maria Isabel Medina Flores poses for a portrait while shopping at the Mesa Redonda market where she used to work as a cook in Lima, Peru, Wednesday, Dic. 9, 2020. Flores said that the eatery she worked at had to close due to health restrictions to help curb the spread of COVID-19. "The pandemic has been catastrophic for us. We are just recovering little by little," she said.

City street sweepers Angelo Paz Soldan, right, Teodosia Tito, center, and Biviana Torres Aderiano pose for a portrait in their uniforms and masks, during the...

City street sweepers Angelo Paz Soldan, right, Teodosia Tito, center, and Biviana Torres Aderiano pose for a portrait in their uniforms and masks, during the new coronavirus a the Mesa Redonda market in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020. "This pandemic was very hard for us," said Torres Alderiano, who has eight co-workers who have died from COVID-19. "I'm very afraid of catching it, but thank God we are in good health, always taking all necessary care," she said.

Eva Fernandez poses for a portrait wearing a protective suit and a mask to curb the spread of the new coronavirus at the Mesa Redonda...

Eva Fernandez poses for a portrait wearing a protective suit and a mask to curb the spread of the new coronavirus at the Mesa Redonda market where she sells Christmas ornaments in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020. "There's a lot of risk out there," said Fernandez, who suffers from asthma.

Angela, left, kisses her girlfriend as they pose for a portrait at the Mesa Redonda market amid the new coronavirus pandemic in Lima, Peru, Tuesday,...

Angela, left, kisses her girlfriend as they pose for a portrait at the Mesa Redonda market amid the new coronavirus pandemic in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020. "Now I'm here in this market looking for a job," said Angela, who used to run a car wash that closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vendor Daniel Torres Bazan poses for a portrait under one of his mosquito nets for sale at the Mesa Redonda Market in Lima, Peru, Tuesday,...

Vendor Daniel Torres Bazan poses for a portrait under one of his mosquito nets for sale at the Mesa Redonda Market in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020. "Fighting, that's how we live," said Torres Bazan, who said he knew three fellow vendors who died of COVID-19, and that he isolated himself at home for six months.

Maria Asuncion poses for a portrait in her wheelchair at the Mesa Redonda Market as she shops wearing a mask and a face shield during...

Maria Asuncion poses for a portrait in her wheelchair at the Mesa Redonda Market as she shops wearing a mask and a face shield during the COVID-19 pandemic, in Lima, Peru, Friday, Oct. 23, 2020. The 90-year-old used to live alone but now during the pandemic, she is being cared for by her grandson. "I wake up praying in my house. God has fed me," said Asuncion, who added that she was very afraid to go out of her home for months.

Venezuelan migrant David Gomez poses for a portrait as he sells cigarettes and chocolates within his portable display case at the Mesa Redonda Market during...

Venezuelan migrant David Gomez poses for a portrait as he sells cigarettes and chocolates within his portable display case at the Mesa Redonda Market during the COVID-19 pandemic in Lima, Peru, Friday, Oct. 23, 2020. "The pandemic is stronger for migrants," said Gomez. "You have to have a heart of stone to resist. Almighty God allowed us to survive, and I hope this situation helps us to unite as human beings," he said.

Arnulfo Ramirez poses for a portrait at the Mesa Redonda market in Lima, Peru, Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020. Arnulfo, who lives off of selling candies...

Arnulfo Ramirez poses for a portrait at the Mesa Redonda market in Lima, Peru, Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020. Arnulfo, who lives off of selling candies on the street, said the COVID-19 pandemic has made him realize that there are still some good people after a stranger gave him food when he was hungry.

Porter Olinda Cerron Sotomayor poses for a portrait at the Mesa Redonda Market, where she's working after being without work for four months, in Lima,...

Porter Olinda Cerron Sotomayor poses for a portrait at the Mesa Redonda Market, where she's working after being without work for four months, in Lima, Peru, Friday, Oct. 23, 2020. The 71-year-old said she had to move after failing to pay the rent, and that while her son recovered from COVID-19, she has been taking care of herself with natural remedies.

Holding a microphone, journalist Gyofred Wilder Robinzon and 6-year-old Isaias pose for a portrait at the Mesa Redonda market in Lima, Peru, Friday, Oct. 23,...

Holding a microphone, journalist Gyofred Wilder Robinzon and 6-year-old Isaias pose for a portrait at the Mesa Redonda market in Lima, Peru, Friday, Oct. 23, 2020. Isaias, whose family works at the market, jumped unexpectedly into the portrait with Robinzon, who was there working on a news story. ???In my work as a journalist I see the many needs and the suffering of people," Robinzon said.

Despite strict measures to control the coronavirus, this South American nation of 32 million people has become one of the countries worst hit by the...

Despite strict measures to control the coronavirus, this South American nation of 32 million people has become one of the countries worst hit by the COVID-19 disease. With more than 104,000 cases and 3,000 deaths, Peru was 12th in the world in numbers of confirmed diagnoses Wednesday, more than reported by China and just behind India. The true scope of the disaster is even worse. With more than half of cases going uncounted, according to some doctors’ estimates, Peruvian officials call the coronavirus pandemic the most devastating to hit the country since 1492, when Europeans began bringing diseases like smallpox and measles to the Americas. Peruvians are dying at home by the hundreds. In the capital, Lima, the grueling, dangerous work of recovering bodies from homes falls to Faneite, Zerpa and fellow workers from the Piedrangel funeral home, who, clad in full-body orange suits, face masks and goggles to protect themselves, collect as many as 10 bodies a day.

Despite strict measures to control the coronavirus, this South American nation of 32 million people has become one of the countries worst hit by the...

A bed sheet moistened with sodium hypochlorite covers the body of a person suspected to have died from the new coronavirus, in Lima, Peru, Wednesday,...

A bed sheet moistened with sodium hypochlorite covers the body of a person suspected to have died from the new coronavirus, in Lima, Peru, Wednesday, May 13, 2020.

In this photo from May 5, 2020, Luis Zerpa, 21, prepares to collect the corpse of Faustino Lopez, 68, who committed suicide inside his home...

In this photo from May 5, 2020, Luis Zerpa, 21, prepares to collect the corpse of Faustino Lopez, 68, who committed suicide inside his home in Lima, Peru. Faustino Lopez's son, Jorge Lopez, told The Associated Press that his father committed suicide "because of stress" and that Faustino was afraid of having COVID-19 because he was coughing and had a headache. Hours after his father committed suicide, health workers took blood samples from one of the fingers on his left hand and confirmed that Faustino had COVID-19.

In this May 9, 2020 photo, Palmira Cortez, 65, mourns while looking at funeral home works carrying the corpse of her husband Walter Yarlequ», 79,...

In this May 9, 2020 photo, Palmira Cortez, 65, mourns while looking at funeral home works carrying the corpse of her husband Walter Yarlequ», 79, who died allegedly from COVID-19, un Lima, Peru.

In this May 8, 2020 photo, Piedrangel funeral home workers Luis Zerpa, Luis Brito, center, and Jhoan Faneite, right, from Venezuela, carry the corpse to...

In this May 8, 2020 photo, Piedrangel funeral home workers Luis Zerpa, Luis Brito, center, and Jhoan Faneite, right, from Venezuela, carry the corpse to the hearse of Marcos Espinoza, 51, who died due to Coronavirus in Pachacamac, outskirts from Lima, Peru. Marcos, single and childless, was a humble electrician, who had changed his trade less than a decade ago after working 25 years as a private security guard. Oscar Espinoza, 50, and Marcos' only brother, said that hours before he died Marcos lamented that the plague had reached him. "Why did this plague get me, if I didn't hurt anyone," heard Oscar, who slept in the next room.

Teodoro Mejia, left, watches workers from the Piedrangel funeral home remove the body of his wife, Berta Cusi Palomino, from their home in Lima, Peru,...

Teodoro Mejia, left, watches workers from the Piedrangel funeral home remove the body of his wife, Berta Cusi Palomino, from their home in Lima, Peru, May 14, 2020. Palomino was believed to have died from COVID-19.

In this May 19, 2020 photo, the corpse of Pedro Quispe, 74, who is suspected to have died from the new coronavirus, rests on his...

In this May 19, 2020 photo, the corpse of Pedro Quispe, 74, who is suspected to have died from the new coronavirus, rests on his bed next to his cat minutes before Piedrangel funeral home workers pick up his corpse to take it to the crematorium, in Lima, Peru.

Piedrangel funeral home workers, Venezuelan Luis Zerpa and Peruvian Angelo Aza, pass the time playing games on their smartphones as they wait for the body...

Piedrangel funeral home workers, Venezuelan Luis Zerpa and Peruvian Angelo Aza, pass the time playing games on their smartphones as they wait for the body of a person who died from the new coronavirus, while parked outside the Villa El Salvador Emergency Hospital in Lima, Peru, Saturday, May 9, 2020. The men are part of the Piedrangel funeral team who have been commissioned by the government to remove and cremate the bodies of deceased persons with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.

In this May 15, 2020 photo, Piedrangel funeral home workers prepares to pick up the corpse of an alleged victim of the Coronavirus, inside his...

In this May 15, 2020 photo, Piedrangel funeral home workers prepares to pick up the corpse of an alleged victim of the Coronavirus, inside his house in Lima, Peru.

In this May 15, 2020 photo, workers enter the corpse of an allegedly victim of Coronavirus inside a truck container used as an improvised morgue...

In this May 15, 2020 photo, workers enter the corpse of an allegedly victim of Coronavirus inside a truck container used as an improvised morgue inside Hipolito Unanue public hospital in Lima, Peru.

1 / 42

Honorable Mention

Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle

(L-r) Janice Smith helps London Gilbert, 5 put on her mask on Thursday, May 7, 2020 in San Francisco, California. The Community Resilience Caravans, which...

(L-r) Janice Smith helps London Gilbert, 5 put on her mask on Thursday, May 7, 2020 in San Francisco, California. The Community Resilience Caravans, which were organized through the city, canvassed neighborhoods throughout District 10 to encourage social distancing and hand out masks amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden takes a selfie with a patron at Buttercup diner during a campaign stop on March 03,...

Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden takes a selfie with a patron at Buttercup diner during a campaign stop on March 03, 2020 in Oakland, California.

Hanno Botha looks out at the Presidio National Park shrouded in dark orange smoke in San Francisco, Calif. Wednesday, September 9, 2020 due to multiple...

Hanno Botha looks out at the Presidio National Park shrouded in dark orange smoke in San Francisco, Calif. Wednesday, September 9, 2020 due to multiple wildfires burning across California and Oregon.

Cassie Hausauer, 95 (left) and her daughter Heidi Hausauer were excited to get out of the house as they waited for the start of The...

Cassie Hausauer, 95 (left) and her daughter Heidi Hausauer were excited to get out of the house as they waited for the start of The Shining at the Drive In theater at the San Mateo County Event Center on Saturday, July 18, 2020 in San Mateo, California.

The Grand Princess cruise ship which has been held offshore since the first coronaviruses cases were identified on Thursday enters the San Francisco Bay on...

The Grand Princess cruise ship which has been held offshore since the first coronaviruses cases were identified on Thursday enters the San Francisco Bay on Monday, March 9, 2020 in San Francisco, California.

Joseph DeAngelo (center) enters court proceedings where he plead guilty for crimes linked to the Golden State Killer on Monday, June 29th, 2020 in Sacramento,...

Joseph DeAngelo (center) enters court proceedings where he plead guilty for crimes linked to the Golden State Killer on Monday, June 29th, 2020 in Sacramento, California.

Neziyah Stevens, 4, holds her Barbie doll close as she cries for her father's attention as he collects the belongings outside of their tent in...

Neziyah Stevens, 4, holds her Barbie doll close as she cries for her father's attention as he collects the belongings outside of their tent in Oakland, California on September, 30, 2020. Neziyah and her family of eight have been homeless on and off for several years and the pandemic has made it difficult for such a large family to find permanent housing.

(L-r) Janice Smith helps London Gilbert, 5 put on her mask on Thursday, May 7, 2020 in San Francisco, California. The Community Resilience Caravans, which...

Essential farmworker Pablo Barrera, 67, poses for a portrait while planting organic cantaloupe at Del Bosque Farms in Firebaugh, California on Tuesday, June 9, 2020....

Essential farmworker Pablo Barrera, 67, poses for a portrait while planting organic cantaloupe at Del Bosque Farms in Firebaugh, California on Tuesday, June 9, 2020. Pablo Barrera has worked this farm, all 2,000 acres, for more than 20 years. He’s 67 and dresses like a ranchero. His belt buckle is big and shiny, and the brim on his hat turns up sharply on the sides. He tucks his plaid shirt tight into his jeans. These days he wears a mask, too. Barrera is one of the 400,000 California agricultural workers who feed the state and the nation. The vast majority of these workers are undocumented; they have little option but to work. “At first, I was a little bit afraid,” Barrera says. “But from there I decided to work.” “Thank god nothing has happened to me. I have been free from all that pandemic, and I pray to God it stays that way as I move forward.”

Jonathan Persico, 41, who is a sheetmetal worker stands for a portrait while building the ventilation for a Covid-19 testing site in Berkeley, California. Friday...

Jonathan Persico, 41, who is a sheetmetal worker stands for a portrait while building the ventilation for a Covid-19 testing site in Berkeley, California. Friday June 12, 2020. Of working during the virus, Persico says, “Everyone knows what a carpenter or electrician is, but they don’t know what a sheet metal worker is. We do a lot of things. We build all the duct work that conveys all the air that you breathe. We’re conveying the air in the COVID test site to keep it clean. … It feels like being a part of history, really. … My fingerprints are on a job that will be sitting there for a long time.” Jonathan is one of many essential workers — people whose work was so essential that staying home and staying safe was not an option. While cashiers and food service workers might be called heroes now they are also risking the most and often make the least. It is also clear that the burden of this frontline work falls disproportionately to women and people of color. Essential work has always been essential but it’s taken a pandemic for many to recognize it as such. It remains to be seen whether we will continue to respect this work after the pandemic eventually fades — and moreover, whether we might offer essential workers more than heartfelt thanks.

Larry Cruz, 60, who is a USPS postal carrier poses for a photograph during his route in Potrero Hill, San Francisco, California on Wednesday, May...

Larry Cruz, 60, who is a USPS postal carrier poses for a photograph during his route in Potrero Hill, San Francisco, California on Wednesday, May 27, 2020. On being an essential worker, Cruz says, “I feel like everybody is essential. This is our normal job. I don’t know that I can be considered essential. I just try to do my job. I’m not like a soldier protecting the country; I just deliver the mail.”

Manuela Garcia, 33, and Patricia Hodge,41, who are professional cleaners pose for a portrait outside a client’s house in the Mission District in San Francisco,...

Manuela Garcia, 33, and Patricia Hodge,41, who are professional cleaners pose for a portrait outside a client’s house in the Mission District in San Francisco, California on Thursday, July 30, 2020. On honoring essential workers, Hodge says, “The things we are doing, a lot of people don’t like to do it and we love to do it. It’s my pleasure to clean people’s house. It’s been three months since I’ve been stuck inside of my house doing nothing. I miss my clients. I miss the people. At this time we need to give people more love, more attention than before because life with people is important for us.”

Cashier Rafik Hamdallah, 35 poses for a portrait at Reno’s Liquor store on Saturday, May, 9, 2020 in the Dogpatch district of San Francisco, California....

Cashier Rafik Hamdallah, 35 poses for a portrait at Reno’s Liquor store on Saturday, May, 9, 2020 in the Dogpatch district of San Francisco, California. On working during a pandemic Hamdallah says, “When the neighborhood changes, we change. We add, every day, more stuff. … A lot of items are out of stock but we do our best to get what we can. I go pick up groceries at the wholesale market twice a day to keep everything in stock. It’s not easy because you have to wait in long lines, and then sometimes there is nothing there. It’s been a hard couple of months to find the products. To find flour and yeast. ... We feel like a family in this community. We do the best we can to support the neighbors and customers. I’m not there to just make money. I’m there to help people, too.”

Nurse Pauline Tran poses for a photograph at the testing site for Covid-19 at Laguna Honda Hospital in Midwood Terrace, San Francisco, California on Wednesday,...

Nurse Pauline Tran poses for a photograph at the testing site for Covid-19 at Laguna Honda Hospital in Midwood Terrace, San Francisco, California on Wednesday, June 24, 2020. On being an essential worker, Tran says, “I’m doing my part to help out the hospital as well as the community, just decreasing the spread and preventing the disease. Other people can decide ‘I’m gonna be at home and hide away and prevent the spread,’ but as essential workers we have to go out there and do our job and get the tasks done for the people that need it. Daily work is still needed, and there are people that go out there to get the work done and that is their duty.”

Bernard Lewis, 61, poses for a photograph on his recycling route for Recology in the Sunnyside neighborhood of San Francisco, California on Wednesday, June 17,...

Bernard Lewis, 61, poses for a photograph on his recycling route for Recology in the Sunnyside neighborhood of San Francisco, California on Wednesday, June 17, 2020. On working during the pandemic Lewis says, “I look forward to each and every day. Being able to go out and do something that the world is counting on. Everyone needs trash removed, otherwise things will get worse. If trash builds up, things can get really bad, so I feel really good deep down inside to be able to provide that.”

Essential worker and firefighter Tanesha Gibson, 33, poses for a photograph while working at Fire Station 17 in the Bayview district of San Francisco, California....

Essential worker and firefighter Tanesha Gibson, 33, poses for a photograph while working at Fire Station 17 in the Bayview district of San Francisco, California. Monday June 1, 2020. Of the coronavirus Gibson says, “No one knows who has it, who we’re gonna be around that has it, or if we’re gonna bring it to the department or get it from the department and bring it home to our families… It’s kinda hard … going to work and you don’t know if today is your day to get it.”

(L-r) Janice Smith helps London Gilbert, 5 put on her mask on Thursday, May 7, 2020 in San Francisco, California. The Community Resilience Caravans, which...

Debra Holloway prays over her mother Tessie HenryÕs casket before saying goodbye to her after she died from COVID-19 on Wednesday, April 8, 2020 in...

Debra Holloway prays over her mother Tessie HenryÕs casket before saying goodbye to her after she died from COVID-19 on Wednesday, April 8, 2020 in Colma, California.

Funeral director Vaughn Nixon Sr. walks through DugganÕs Funeral Home on Monday, April 13, 2020 in San Francisco, California. Many people who have died from...

Funeral director Vaughn Nixon Sr. walks through DugganÕs Funeral Home on Monday, April 13, 2020 in San Francisco, California. Many people who have died from the COVID-19 have come through the funeral home. Vaughn has personally known several of the people who have died from the virus.

Stacey Ned (center) cries as she sits socially distanced from her family at her father Clifton NedÕs viewing at DugganÕs Funeral Home on Monday, April...

Stacey Ned (center) cries as she sits socially distanced from her family at her father Clifton NedÕs viewing at DugganÕs Funeral Home on Monday, April 13, 2020 in San Francisco, California. Clifton Ned died of COVID-19 after attending a birthday party and funeral.

Funeral director Vaughn Nixon Sr.(center) and family members carry the casket of Ella Dean Brown to the hearse outside of DugganÕs Funeral Home on Monday,...

Funeral director Vaughn Nixon Sr.(center) and family members carry the casket of Ella Dean Brown to the hearse outside of DugganÕs Funeral Home on Monday, April 13, 2020 in San Francisco, California. Ella Dean Brown did not die of the coronavirus but her family was forced to wear masks and gloves and were only allowed to have ten people attend the funeral.

Andre Ned II grieves at his grandfather Clifton NedÕs viewing at DugganÕs Funeral Home on Monday, April 13, 2020 in San Francisco, California. Clifton Ned...

Andre Ned II grieves at his grandfather Clifton NedÕs viewing at DugganÕs Funeral Home on Monday, April 13, 2020 in San Francisco, California. Clifton Ned died of the coronavirus after attending a birthday party and funeral.

Funeral director Vaughn Nixon Sr. wears a mask as he drives to a burial on Monday, April 13, 2020 in San Francisco, California.

Curtis Louis a deacon at the Bible Way Missionary Baptist church sanitizes the church pews due to the coronavirus on Wednesday, July 8, 2020 in...

Curtis Louis a deacon at the Bible Way Missionary Baptist church sanitizes the church pews due to the coronavirus on Wednesday, July 8, 2020 in Richmond, California.

(L-r) Debra Holloway, Rashawn Henry, Raneisha Henry, and Robert Henry watch from the car as their mother and grandmother Tessie Henry who died of Covid-19...

(L-r) Debra Holloway, Rashawn Henry, Raneisha Henry, and Robert Henry watch from the car as their mother and grandmother Tessie Henry who died of Covid-19 at the age of 83 is buried on Wednesday, April 8, 2020 in Colma, California.

Gloves sit on top of Clifton NedÕs casket during his burial at Skylawn cemetery on Monday, April 13, 2020 in San Mateo, California. Clifton Ned...

Gloves sit on top of Clifton NedÕs casket during his burial at Skylawn cemetery on Monday, April 13, 2020 in San Mateo, California. Clifton Ned died of the coronavirus after attending a birthday party and funeral.

(L-r) Janice Smith helps London Gilbert, 5 put on her mask on Thursday, May 7, 2020 in San Francisco, California. The Community Resilience Caravans, which...

Cemetery worker Minor Lacon covers the casket of Tessie Henry who died of Covid-19 at the age of 83 with dirt on Wednesday, April 8,...

Cemetery worker Minor Lacon covers the casket of Tessie Henry who died of Covid-19 at the age of 83 with dirt on Wednesday, April 8, 2020 in Colma, California.

Theo Schrager, 6, relaxes in his hammock that he "loves" outside the tent he is living in with his mom Leah Naomi Gonzales (not pictured)...

Theo Schrager, 6, relaxes in his hammock that he "loves" outside the tent he is living in with his mom Leah Naomi Gonzales (not pictured) in Berkeley, California, on Monday, Aug. 19, 2019. They have been living in a tent at Strawberry Creek Park for months after being unable to secure money for a hotel. All 7-year-old Theo wants is his own room and a kitchen to bake a chocolate cake.He dreams about it while he sleeps in tents, in parks and under the freeway in Berkeley, California. Theo and his mother Leah have been homeless for much of his life. During the pandemic, Theo's life was devoid of structure. No school meant hours on the computer and erratic outbursts. After a year of ping-ponging between hotels and the streets, they ended up in a tent on the same block they started out on - outside a Tesla dealership. Theo's struggle, even amidst the affluent community of Berkeley, showsÊthe intractability of CaliforniaÕs homeless crisis.

Nearly asleep, homeless child Theo Schrager, 6, rides on his mom Leah Naomi Gonzales' shoulders on University Avenue in Berkeley, California, on Monday, Aug. 19,...

Nearly asleep, homeless child Theo Schrager, 6, rides on his mom Leah Naomi Gonzales' shoulders on University Avenue in Berkeley, California, on Monday, Aug. 19, 2019. With no money, Leah went door to door to beg for food for her son. A Mexican restaurant gave them tortilla chips and cheese that they ate as they walked back to their tent in the park.

Theo Schrager, 7 watches videos on his mother Leah Naomi Gonzales' (right) phone while she begs for money on University Avenue in Berkeley, California, on...

Theo Schrager, 7 watches videos on his mother Leah Naomi Gonzales' (right) phone while she begs for money on University Avenue in Berkeley, California, on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019. Sometimes she is able to get a decent amount of money but other days, like today, she only makes about $15 over several hours.

Theo Schrager, 6, excitedly grabs a bundle of balloons at Dollar Tree and yells out "Mom, can I have them?" the day before his 7th...

Theo Schrager, 6, excitedly grabs a bundle of balloons at Dollar Tree and yells out "Mom, can I have them?" the day before his 7th birthday in Berkeley, California, U.S.A. on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019. That afternoon Theo talked about how excited he was to turn 7 and wondered what kind of presents he would get. Leah Naomi wanted him to be clean for school on his birthday so she made sure to shower him at the YMCA before going back to their tent at Strawberry Creek Park.

After a bath, Theo Schrager, 7, has his face and hair toweled off by his mother Leah Naomi Gonzales (right) on Halloween night in Berkeley,...

After a bath, Theo Schrager, 7, has his face and hair toweled off by his mother Leah Naomi Gonzales (right) on Halloween night in Berkeley, California, on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019. Halloween is a tricky time for Theo and his mother because Halloween of 2018 was the last time Theo saw his father.

1Unsure of how many days they have left at the hotel, Leah Naomi Gonzales calls the front desk as her son Theo Schrager, 7, watches...

1Unsure of how many days they have left at the hotel, Leah Naomi Gonzales calls the front desk as her son Theo Schrager, 7, watches television in their hotel room at the Downtown Berkeley Inn Hotel in Berkeley, California, on Monday November, 11, 2019.

Theo Schrager, 7, (left) takes gauze off of his mother Leah Naomi Gonzales' arm as she rests in the hospital with severe stomach and back...

Theo Schrager, 7, (left) takes gauze off of his mother Leah Naomi Gonzales' arm as she rests in the hospital with severe stomach and back pains on Christmas Eve, Tuesday, December 24, 2019, in Berkeley, California, U.S.A. While at the hospital Theo looked at his mother and asked, "Are you going to die?" She said, "Horribly. Just kidding. Come here. Am I gonna die? Mommy has been pretty sick but no honey I'm not gonna die I don't think. It's not a dying day."

After scrambling up a tree, Theo Schrager, 7, takes a moment to rest at Strawberry Creek Park where he is staying in a tent with...

After scrambling up a tree, Theo Schrager, 7, takes a moment to rest at Strawberry Creek Park where he is staying in a tent with his mother Leah Naomi Gonzales (not pictured) in Berkeley, California, on Sunday, November, 17, 2019.

Theo Schrager, 7, and his mother Leah Naomi Gonzales carry all of their belongings as they move from sleeping outside in a tent to a...

Theo Schrager, 7, and his mother Leah Naomi Gonzales carry all of their belongings as they move from sleeping outside in a tent to a hotel in Berkeley, California, on Sunday, November, 17, 2019.

As they prepare to move from one hotel to another Leah Naomi Gonzales stands exasperated in the hallway with her son Theo Schrager, 7, who...

As they prepare to move from one hotel to another Leah Naomi Gonzales stands exasperated in the hallway with her son Theo Schrager, 7, who refused to move from the floor on Wednesday May 13, 2020, in Berkeley, California. During the coronavirus pandemic, Theo's life has lacked structure. No school has meant many hours on the computer. His mother Leah says that they both had the coronavirus early on but Theo says he can't remember what it felt like because the virus "wiped my mind".

Homeless child Theo Schrager, 7, flexes his muscles in the mirror and says, "Look how strong I am mom!" as he sits on his hotel...

Homeless child Theo Schrager, 7, flexes his muscles in the mirror and says, "Look how strong I am mom!" as he sits on his hotel bed at the Downtown Berkeley Inn in Berkeley, California, on Wednesday, November, 13, 2019.

Leah Naomi Gonzales (right) restrains her son Theo Schrager, 7, after she scolded him for stealing balloons from a window display on Wednesday, May 20,...

Leah Naomi Gonzales (right) restrains her son Theo Schrager, 7, after she scolded him for stealing balloons from a window display on Wednesday, May 20, 2020, in Berkeley, California. ÒStupid!Ó Theo yelled as he attacked his mom in the street, ÒStop it right now, youÕve got to quit it!Ó she said as she tried to restrain him. During the coronavirus pandemic, TheoÕs life has lacked structure. No school has meant many hours on the computer and increased irritability.

Theo Schrager, 7, holds a peanut butter and jelly sandwich his mom made him for lunch during shelter-in-place at the LaQuinta Hotel on Thursday, May...

Theo Schrager, 7, holds a peanut butter and jelly sandwich his mom made him for lunch during shelter-in-place at the LaQuinta Hotel on Thursday, May 21, 2020, in Berkeley, California. It can be hard to eat without a proper kitchen so microwave meals and sandwiches are commonplace for them.

Theo Schrager, 7, holds on to his mom Leah Naomi Gonzales' hand as they visit a friends tent under the Gilman Street underpass in Berkeley,...

Theo Schrager, 7, holds on to his mom Leah Naomi Gonzales' hand as they visit a friends tent under the Gilman Street underpass in Berkeley, California, on Friday, June 12, 2020. They spent the afternoon looking for their friend Elf who has two new puppies. Theo loves dogs and desperately wants one. "Mama, I want one and I want one now." Theo declared. She answered, "Theo, I have way too much to take care of. There's just no way we can have a dog in our situation."

Leah Naomi Gonzales holds her son Theo Schrager, 7, in her arms as she sings ÒYou are my SunshineÓ by Johnny Cash as she tried...

Leah Naomi Gonzales holds her son Theo Schrager, 7, in her arms as she sings ÒYou are my SunshineÓ by Johnny Cash as she tried to get him to sleep in a tent under the freeway in Berkeley, California on Monday, July 13, 2020. Naomi and her son Theo were kicked out of the hotel they had been staying at and had no where to go Naomi said, ÒI donÕt have anywhere to take him. This is a nightmare.Ó

1 / 44

Division

PHOTOJOURNALIST OF THE YEAR

PORTRAIT

NEWS

STORY

OTHER

NEWS

STORY

OTHER

PHOTOJOURNALIST OF THE YEAR

NEWS

OTHER

NEWS

OTHER

NEWS

STORY

OTHER

Still Photojournalism

PHOTOJOURNALIST OF THE YEAR

PORTRAIT

NEWS

STORY

OTHER

Picture Editing

NEWS

STORY

OTHER

Video Photojournalism

PHOTOJOURNALIST OF THE YEAR

NEWS

OTHER

Video Editing

NEWS

OTHER

Online Video Presentation & Innovation

NEWS

STORY

OTHER

Search

2021 Photojournalist of the Year (Large Market)