Stunning, award-winning photos from the world's largest photo competition

This image is from Ramin Mazur’s series, "The Process," documenting a production of "Hamlet" put on in a prison in Moldova. The Republic of Moldova has one of the highest numbers of inmates per capita in Europe, including the highest rate of the long-term convicted. To shed a light on the issues of penitentiary system, art center "Coliseum" directed a play in the most secure prison in Moldova.

Sasha Dudkina is a 19-year-old photographer from Moscow, Russia. She shoots with a Canon 650d and occasionally her iPhone. Sasha's photographic style is characterized by glances and holding on to fleeting moments. She considers herself an observer, always taking in the people and events around her, oftentimes snapping candid photos of her friends and strangers. Her photography is inspired by her home country of Russia, its literature, music, diversity of nature and especially the people.

Pira said as the drone pilot in this campaign, "I saw too much of the dark side of humanity in such a beautiful place. I decided to make the best of my time while flying, so every time the drones were launched I tried to capture the beautiful side of the area I was patrolling."

Guiga Pira was asked to join the crew of an anti-poaching ship as the drone pilot for a campaign to protect the most endangered marine mammal in the world from illegal fisherman. Drones were used to locate, identify, and document illegal fishing activities in a protected area.

Kwong said, "With its lighting scheme, it was giving off a cinematic vibe, and I also love how how each lit balcony made the building facade look like a sheet of negatives — each telling its own story."

This image was chosen by the EyeEm community from all finalists.

This photo was taken as part of Julie Hrudova's series, "LEISURE," which is an ongoing series that Hrudova says is "core to what my work is about." It's a play with photography being a trustworthy and truthful medium by creating some confusion about what is actually happening in the image, or why. Hrudova says her subjects are focused on their leisure activities and often isolated.

"Maybe this is inspired by an urge to find consolation or my intimate affection for a time before, or me just being Adeolu. Regardless, I'm forever glad I happened to find myself in this state," said Osibodu.

This was taken as part of Adeolu Osibodu's series, called "Losing Amos." Osibodu says: "My Grandfather Amos died in 2014. It was then that I realized how casual my idea of him was."

"I constantly asked myself why I couldn’t see beyond his heavy grins, why I couldn’t define him as more than the man who was never unhappy... these were unsettling thoughts that meddled with my conscience." Osibodu decided to take a series of self-portraits wearing different clothes his grandfather owned at various times in his life.