Images in photojournalism contest show best and worst of humanity

31 Jan 2020, 14:32 by Felicity Villar For Mailonline

Stunning images in worldwide photojournalism contest show war, weather and the worst of humanity as black and white photo of slum children playing with toy guns in the Philippines emerges victorious

'Hoisting' was captured by @øystein in Melhus, Norway. This is a normal day at work for the Norwegian search and rescue services. The rescue team are carrying out their training over the Norwegian mountains. Often the preferred way of access when the helicopter can’t land is by 'hoisting'

A stunning series of images showing war, natural disasters and both the best and worst of humanity have been selected as part of a worldwide photo contest. More than 12,000 photos were submitted to the competition titled #Photojournalism2020 run by free-to-use photography app Agora.

Self-taught Filipino photographer, @renebernal, captured winning shot 'Young Guns.' He won $1,000 for winning the international photojournalism competition with his spectacularly moody shot, showing children playing with toy guns in a dumpster in the Philippines.

Winner: The Self-taught Filipino photographer, @renebernal, captured winning shot 'Young guns.' This staggering photo is taken in a dumpster in San Dionisio, a district located in the southern part of Metro Manila. The winning entry is a spectacularly moody, black and white image showing slum children playing with toy guns in the Philipines. The stark silhouettes of their bodies as they play on a steaming rubbish tip are contrasted against a cloud-mottled sky

One of the finalists, @sakter, captured the shot 'Devotees return home' which shows dozens of colourfully-dressed men clinging precariously to the outside of a train as it returns from a Muslim festival in Bangladesh. He took this shot at Dhaka's airport railway station during Biswa Ijtema, the second largest congregation of Muslim community after Hajj

'The Graves of 20 Nameless Corpses' was captured by @barcerumkabu. The deadly flash flooding that hit Sentani on Papua in Indonesia left many casualties. The disaster killed more than 100 people and 8,000 families had to be evacuated

Photographer, @kriswantoginting managed to capture 'The biggest eruption of Mt. Sinabung' in Tigapancur, Indonesia. He uses the image as a message to show how humanity should have been taking better care of our planet and the photographer says the eruption is nature being 'angry.' Mt. Sinabung, an active volcano, hasn't stopped erupting since 2013

Photographer, @ray_photographer, captured refugees in Barcelona. The phrase ' tourists go home, refugees welcome' has sprung up over the city's walls after a protest in 2017 demanded the Spanish government allow more refugees into the country. The Spanish media dubbed this movement 'tourismphobia ('turismofobia in Spanish) that then spread to other popular tourist destinations in Europe hoping to free their cities from the invasions of visitors

In this shot, Willy, a demonstrator has been photographed by @leowillgo. The photo 'Sacrificio,' meaning 'sacrifice' shows a demonstrator who got shot in the face with rubber bullets by the national guard in Caracas, Venezuela. Since 2014, Venezuela has seen civil insurrection, protests and multiple political demonstrations as the country combats high levels of inflation, violence and the under-funding of basic services

This image was titled 'Two firefighters stopping as a tree candles in front of them while on a patrol' by @RhythmOutdoors, who captured the wildfires in British Columbia, Canada. There are roughly 8,000 wildfires in Canada each year which can devastate communities and claim both human and animal lives

Photographer @chanthar captured 'Street children' with the aim of donating his money prize to them if he won. The image shows a young girl looking after her sibling, surrounded by rubbish in Mandalay, Myanmar. It demonstrates how dirty and dangerous the environment is for street children in Myanmar

@franciscopaez photographed a women's protest in Buenos Aires in Argentina to legalise abortion. In Argentina abortion is considered a crime against a life, unless performed by a certified doctor under certain circumstances, and can result in up to fifteen years of prison for anyone who induces the procedure

This protest march was set against the imprisonment of the pro-independence politicians. The image, captured by @oscar_peneloIt shows a massive march demanding the reconstruction of a country . In the background we see the Sagrada família, one of the symbols of Barcelona and Catalonia, still under construction

' Fire' by @damiane shows firefighters battling a blaze in Tbilisi in Georgia

This image titled 'Revolting Tears' by @notsotoya was taken in Beirut, Lebanon. A lady holds her hand to her face in grief as protesters fly the Lebanese flag overhead. Lebanon has seen an increase in civil protests in recent years, triggered by corruption and austerity

'Liquefaction' was taken by @perdiansyah who mentioned that thousands of citizens were lying beneath the rubble. The process of liquefaction is when soil loses its strength when impacted with stress, like an earthquake. Indonesia frequently experiences earthquakes. The devastating Indonesian earthquake in 2018 in the city of Palu, caused the soil to move like a 'liquid,' causing buildings to collapse and trapping victims inside

'Heart of Fire'('Corazón de fuego' in Spanish) by @donaldobarros shows a protestor throwing fire into the distance in Caracas, Venezuela. Since 2014, Venezuela has seen civil insurrection, protests and multiple political demonstrations as the country combats high levels of inflation, violence and the under-funding of basic services

@amdadhossai captured a homeless woman sleeping on a rubbish pile in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The woman is pictured curled up on a rubbish heap, surrounded by waste that overflows into the river below. Millions of people are estimated to live in the overcrowded slums of Dhaka, where they often face harassment, violence and extortion

The image 'Kerbelâ1' by @bekiryesiltas was taken during the month of Muharram in Istanbul, Turkey. For this, elaborate public processions are performed in commemoration of the Battle of Karbala. Muharram commemorates the death of Prophet Muhammad's grandson during this battle.

This photo 'Pride Walk' by @prit2 portrays the happiness and freedom felt by the LGBT community in India. The Supreme Court of India decriminalised homosexuality by declaring Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code unconstitutional. Over 200 members took part in this March, that took place in Kolkata in West Bengal, India

The photo 'ARMISTICE' by @rvb_productions expresses the stupidity of war. The photographer wanted 'to create a sad feeling for the viewer.' He added that 'those fallen soldiers have sacrificed their youth for our future.' The image was taken at Ypres in Belgium. During the First World War, the First Battle of Ypres was fought here in October 1914 until November 1914. The area also saw a deadly second battle in April 1915 that took the lives of many young soldiers