
A moving image of a husband and wife embracing in their bedroom is among the stunning pictures recognised by the prestigious World Press Photo Contest.

The black and white photograph of Howie and Laurel Borowick, who were undergoing treatment for stage four cancer at the same time in 2013 and died just a year apart, was taken by their daughter Nancy. Her project, 'A Life in Death, won second prize in the Long Term Projects category.

The competition's winning image is of a baby being passed by migrants underneath a razor-wire fence on the Hungary-Serbia border.

The unpublished black and white picture was taken by photographer Warren Richardson on August 28 near the border crossing point at Roszke in Hungary as migrants tried to reach Europe before authorities completed a secure fence along the length of the country's border with Serbia.

'A Life in Death', which won second prize Long Term Projects, shows Howie and Laurel Borowick embrace in the bedroom of their home. In their 34- year marriage, they were both diagnosed with stage-four cancer at the same time

'Tough Times for Orangutans' won the first prize in the Nature Stories category. It shows a Bornean orangutan climbing more than 30 meters up a tree in the rain forest of Gunung Palung National Park, West Kalimantan, Indonesia

The image shows residents foraging through their destroyed homes, gathering salvageable belongings on April 29 2015 in Nepal

The World Press Photo of the Year titled 'Hope for a new Life' by photographer Warren Richardson also won a first prize in the Spot News singles category and shows a man passing a baby through the fence at the Serbia-Hungary border in Roszke, Hungary, August 28 2015

'Had I used a flash, I would have given their position away to the Hungarian police,' said Richardson, who camped out for days on the border to document the passage of the migrants.

Needing to preserve his camera's battery, Richardson - from Australia - did not see the image until he returned home to Budapest and began editing his pictures.

Competition jury member Vaughn Wallace, deputy photo editor for Al Jazeera America, called the image 'incredibly powerful visually, but it's also very nuanced'.

He said the photo 'causes you to stop and consider the man's face, consider the child. You see the sharpness of the barbed wire and the hands reaching out from the darkness.'

The contest drew 82,951 images from 5,775 photographers.

Another of the contest's stand-out pictures was taken by Tim Laman and shows a Bornean orangutan climbing high above the rain forest in Gunung Palung National Park, West Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Entitled 'Tough Times for Orangutans', the poignant picture focuses on the threats to these animals from fires, the illegal animal trade and the loss of habitat due to deforestation.

'La Maya Tradition' won second prize in People stories. It shows young girls between the age of 7 and 11 are chosen every year as 'Maya' for the 'Las Mayas' in the town of Colmenar Viejo, Spain

'Las Mayas' is a festival derived from pagan rites celebrating the arrival of spring, in the town of Colmenar Viejo, Spain. The girls are required to sit still for a couple of hours in a decorated altar

Another, shot by talented Australian photographer Daniel Berehulak, won third prize in the General News category of the 59th annual contest.

The aerial shot shows residents foraging through their destroyed homes in Bhaktapur, Nepal on April 29 2015, following the earthquake.

Last year's competition was overshadowed by the disqualification of a winner who admitted that one of a series of pictures about the Belgian city of Charleroi was actually taken in Brussels and by controversy surrounding the pictures of the gritty, post-industrial Charleroi.

Lars Boering, managing director of the World Press Photo Foundation, said the contest set up a new code of ethics for this year's contest to ensure the integrity of images and praised photographers for largely sticking to it, saying there were more checks and 'fewer problems' than last year.

'We see that the photographers are as committed as we are to providing accurate and fair images on the world's most important events and issues,' he said.

Several winners in the news categories focused on the migrant crisis and one of its root causes, the devastating civil war in Syria.

This image shows Syrians fleeing the war rushing through broken down border fences to enter Turkish territory illegally, near the Turkish border crossing at Akcakale in Sanliurfa province. The image highlights Europe's worst migrant crisis since World War II

'ISIS Fighter Treated at Kurdish Hospital' won a first prize in the General News singles category. It shows a doctor rubbing ointment on the burns of a 16-year-old Islamic State fighter in front of a poster of Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party

'A Life in Death' shows Howie and Laurel Borowick sitting next to the bathroom telephone as they receive the most recent news from their oncologist

But the contest's wide range of categories also provided an eclectic mix of other subjects ranging from wrestlers in Senegal to amateur ice hockey players in Russia, and from people diving with whales to orangutans climbing trees.

Associated Press photographer Daniel Ochoa de Olza won second place in the People Stories category with a series of portraits of young Spanish girls sitting in a decorated altar as part of the historic Las Mayas festival in the town of Volmenar Viejo.

He also took third place in the same category with photos of victims of attacks by Islamic extremists in Paris. The photos showed raindrops covering portraits left at a street memorial in honor of some of the of the victims of the November 13 attacks.

TOUGH TIMES FOR THE RAINFORESTS

The picture shows a Sumatran orangutan threatening another nearby male in the Batang Toru Forest, North Sumatra Province, Indonesia

The picture shows a Bornean orangutan seen through the smoke of forest fires along the Mangkutup River, Central Kalimantan Province, Indonesia

The picture shows a veterinarian from International Animal Rescue carrying a Bornean orangutan baby from a house where it was kept illegally as a pet in the village of Sungai Besar, West Kalimantan Province, Indonesia

Pictured is a Lordís Resistance Army (LRA) fighter holding two ivory tusks. Ivory is a means of financing the LRA and is used for both food and weapon supplies

REFUGEE CRISIS

The image titled 'Waiting to Register' bwon the first prize in the People singles category, it shows a child which is covered with a raincoat while she waits in line to register at a refugee camp in Presevo, Serbia

The picture shows a wounded Syrian girl holding on to a relative as she awaits treatment by doctors at a makeshift hospital in the rebel-held area of Douma, east of the capital Damascus, following reported air strikes on the city on 11 May 2015

The picture shows a Syrian man carrying the body of a child killed in a reported air strike by government forces in the rebel-held area of Douma, east of the capital Damascus, 07 November 2015

The picture shows a view of the Syrian town of Douma in the eastern Ghouta region, a rebel stronghold east of the capital Damascus, following air strikes on December 13, 2015. At least 28 civilians were killed in heavy bombardment of the besieged Syrian rebel stronghold

The picture shows migrants walking atop a dike as Slovenian riot police escorted them to a registration camp outside Dobova. War, drought and more are driving millions of people from their homelands

A Slovenian police officer on horseback escorts migrants after they crossed from Croatia. Under Europe's system of open internal borders, the island's thinly patrolled, easily accessible coastline, within sight of the Turkish coast

Eritrean migrants - the vast majority of the migrants rescued the day before off the Libyan coast in the Mediterranean Sea - gathering on the deck of the M.S.F. (Medecins Sans FrontiËres - Doctors Without Borders) search and rescue ship Bourbon Argos

The picture shows Islamic State members asking people to go back to city center at the Turkish Akcakale crossing gate in Sanliurfa province, on June 13, 2015

The picture shows Syrians fleeing the war waiting to enter Turkey near the Turkish border crossing at Akcakale in Sanliurfa province

The picture shows a wounded Syrian girl looking on at a make shift hospital in the rebel-held area of Douma, east of the capital Damascus, following shelling and air raids by Syrian government forces on 22 August 2015

The picture shows a wounded Syrian girl crying at a make-shift hospital in the rebel-held area of Douma, east of the capital Damascus, following reported air strikes by regime forces, 12 August 2015. At least 27 civilians were killed in Syrian government air strikes

This photo shows a Syrian child fleeing the war being lifted over border fences to enter Turkish territory illegally, near the Turkish border crossing at Akcakale in Sanliurfa province

The image shows smoke billowing from a building early on October 30, 2015, following reported shelling by Syrian government forces in the rebel-controlled area of Douma, east of Damascus

'Reporting Europe's Refugee Crisis' shows refugees arriving by boat near the village of Skala on Lesbos, Greece

'Reporting Europe's Refugee Crisis' shows refugees attempting to board a train headed to Zagreb, Croatia in Tovarnik, Croatia

'Under the Cover of Darkness'won second prize General News singles category and shows refugees travelling in darkness through Europe to avoid detection

'Aftermath of Airstrikes in Syria' won the first prize in the Spot News stories category and shows a wounded man walking out of a dust cloud following reported airstrikes in the town of Hamouria, Syria, Dec. 9, 2015

The picture shows Syrians evacuating an injured boy from rubble following a reported air strike on a rebel-held town of Douma, northeast of the capital Damascus - Nearly every day, Syria's air force drops barrel bombs on areas wrested from government control by rebels

NATURAL DISASTER

Rescuers are pictured using a makeshift stretcher to carry an injured person after an avalanche triggered by an earthquake flattened parts of Everest Base Camp

The picture shows trekking guide Pasang Sherpa searching for survivors among flattened tents moments after a wall of rock, snow and debris slammed on Everest base camp on April 25, 2015

A cloud of snow and debris triggered by an earthquake is pictured flying towards Everest Base Camp, moments ahead of flattening part of the camp in the Himalayas

The picture shows flames rising from burning funeral pyres during the cremation of earthquake victims, at the Pashupatinath temple on the banks of Bagmati river on April 28, 2015 in Kathmandu, Nepal

Bishnu Gurung (3L) is pictured weeping as the body of her daughter, Rejina Gurung, 3, (unseen), is recovered from the rubble of her earthquake destroyed home, on May 8, 2015 in the village of Gumda, Nepal. Neighbors discovered the body of the small girl

The picture shows Nepalese villagers looking on as they watch a helicopter picking up a medical team, dropping aid at the edge of a makeshift landing zone on May 9, 2015 in the village of Gumda, Nepal

'The Power of Nature' shows a powerful night explosion of the Colima Volcano with lightning, ballistic projectiles and incandescent rockfalls, Comala municipality in Colima, Mexico

'Avalanche, 25-27 April, Everest Base Camp, Nepal' won second prize in the Spot News stories category. A man is seen suffering from severe head trauma while being bundled in a sleeping bag after the avalanche in Nepal, 25 April 2015

WORLD PRESS PHOTO ENTRIES

The picture shows homeless veteran Darlene Matthews in her car in Costa Mesa, California, USA

The picture shows Gary Noling holding his daughter Carrie's journal on the anniversary of her suicide in Alliance, Ohio, USA, 01 March 2014

Elisha Morrow and Tiffany Berkland (pictured) were sexually harassed by the same company commander when they were in basic training after joining the Coast Guard. Washington, DC, USA, 18 April 2013

Natasha Schuette, 21, who was pressured not to report being assaulted by her drill sergeant during basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Fayetteville, North Carolina, US, 21 March 2014 is pictured laying down

The picture shows Connie Sue Foss retreating into her own thoughts while her daughter hovers near the bathroom door of their apartment in Spring Hill, Florida, USA, 05 January 2014

The series was part of the Long Term Projects category and was taken between 2013 and 2015. This picture shows Debra Filter in Los Angeles, California, USA, 29 November 2014

Part of a series of photos showing women who have been raped or sexually assaulted during their service with the US Armed Forces is US Army veteran Wilma M. Herndon, watching TV in her room at the Mary Walker House for homeless women veterans in Pennsylvania

This image shows US Navy sailor Melissa Bania holding a banner inscribed with the story of her rape before hanging it on the footbridge across from Naval Station San Diego to bring attention to the epidemic of rape in America's military

The picture shows rangers exhibiting their riding skills as they return to Zakouma National Park after weeks on elephant patrol, Zakouma, Chad

'Amazon's Munduruku Tribe' won second prize in the Daily Life singles category shows indigenous Munduruku children playing in the Tapajos river in the tribal area of Sawre Muybu, Itaituba, Brazil

'Storm Front on Bondi Beach' won first prize in the Nature singles category, it shows a massive cloud tsunami looming over Sydney as a sunbather reads, oblivious to the approaching cloud on Bondi Beach, Sydney

'An Antarctic Advantage' won first prize Daily Life stories. It shows a priest looking on in the Bell room, after a vigil at the Russian Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity, Fildes Bay, Antartica

The picture shows the winter expedition crew of Russian research team and (R) Chilean scientist Dr Ernesto Molina, drinking 'Samagon' a home-made vodka, as they sit in a bedroom of the Bellingshausen Antarctica base on the 28th of November, 2015

'The Forgotten Mountains of Sudan' which won the second prize in the Contemporary Issues singles category shows Adam Abdel, 7, who was severely burned after a bomb was dropped by a Sudanese government Antonov plane next to his family home in Burgu, Sudan

'Emily and Kate and Eddie and Reid' shows Kate keeping Emily company while she took baths. Late in the pregnancy, particularly once Emily was overdue, she said that baths were one of the easiest ways to relax her body

'Citizen Journalism in Brazil's Favelas' shows the leader of the Papo Reto collective receiving an image of a 22-year-old taxi driver who was shot dead by a police officer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

'Into the Light' shows Raheleh, who was born blind, standing behind the window in the morning. She likes the warmness of the sunlight on her face

'Haze in China' won the first prize in the Contemporary Issues Singles category shows a city in northern China shrouded in haze, Tianjin, China

The picture shows Chilean scientist, Dr Ernesto Molina, supported by logisticians from the Chilean Antarctic Institute, battered by waves on their way back to base after having taken sea-water samples in the Fildes Peninsula on King George Island, Antarctica

The picture shows members of the Neptun Synchro synchronized swimming team perform during a Christmas show in Stockholm, Sweden

The picture shows an aerial view of the destruction after the explosion in Tianjin, China, 15 August 2015

The picture shows Abdoulaye, 15, imprisoned in one room of a daara in the Diamaguene area, city of Thies, Senegal, May 18, 2015. The rooms have windows with security bars to keep the talibes from running away

Talibes are pictured sleeping together inside a daara in Saint Louis, north of Senegal, May 21, 2015. The daara with over 30 children has no clean water and barely no electricity. Children sleep on the concrete floor without any protection

Children that used to be talibes are seen cooling off at SOS Talibe Center in Bafata, Guinea-Bissau. The Center received 45 cases of talibes returning from Senegal in 2014, some of them ran away from the daaras but others were handed over by the marabouts to the authorities

The picture shows Evgeny Solovyov, head coach of HC Vetluga preparing the stadium for the match in Vetluga, Russia

The picture shows a player from the junior team from the village Sharanga expected to yield to the ice in Vetluga, Russia, 19 Feruary 2015

Vetluga's hockey players of an amateur team in provincial Russia are photographed before, during and after a game in the regional championship in Vetluga, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia

The picture shows players in the locker room of HC Vetluga at halftime, Vetluga, Russia, 19 February 2015

'China's Coal Addiction' shows Chinese men pulling a tricycle in a neighborhood next to a coal-fired power plant in Shanxi, China

'FIS World Championships' which won the first prize in the Sports Singles category shows Czech Republic's Ondrej Bank crashing during the downhill race of the Alpine Combined at the FIS World Championships in Beaver Creek, Colorado, USA

The world's worst nuclear accident happened on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Just 5 months after the disaster, a girl was born in Kiev just 100 km south from Chernobyl

This series of pictures represent the last 30 years of the life of that invisible girl

All pictures taken on old Ukrainian color negative films, which were found in the city of Pripyat, located 5 km from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant

The wind included a great amount of radioactive elements, and the girl became one of the victims of the tragedy

The picture shows a demonstration against terrorism in Paris, France, on 11 January 2015, after a series of five attacks occurred across the Ile-de-France region, beginning at the headquarters for satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo

'Talibes, Modern Day Slaves' by photographer Mario Cruz which won first prize in the Contemporary Issues category shows runaway talibes standing on the bank of Senegal river, Saint Louis, Senegal

The picture shows Ron Baker shooting over Nick Zeisloft whilst Hanner Mosquera-Perea and Rashard Kelly battle for position during the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 2015 Mens Basketball Tournament game with Wichita State vs. Indiana, USA