This year, 2,423 photographers from 66 countries submitted entries to the prestigious portrait contest hosted by the National Portrait Gallery in London.

Since 1993, the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize has awarded and celebrated photographers at every level, including amateurs, emerging photographers, and seasoned professionals.

59 images from a total of 5,717 entries were recognised in this year’s edition. The grand-prize winner, photographed by Spanish photojournalist César Dezfuli, was awarded with over $US20,000 in prize money. The selected photos will hang in the National Portrait Gallery in London until February 8, 2018.

See a selection of the powerful winning images, below.

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César Dezfuli’s photo of a 16-year-old migrant from Mali was awarded first place.

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Second place was awarded to Abbie Trayler-Smith, whose winning image is a part of her series “Women in War: Life After ISIS.”

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Erica, an android, was photographed by Maija Tammi for the series “One of Them Is a Human.” It was awarded third place.

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Benjamin Rasmussen photographed President Donald Trump for Time magazine’s “Donald Trump After Hours” feature.

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Anna Boyiazis photographed Kijini Primary School students learning to float, swim, and perform rescues in the Indian Ocean off of Mnyuni, Zanzibar.

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An actress, dressed as a nurse, was photographed by Keith Bernstein for his series “Movie Extras.”

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Photographer Owen Harvey explored what it means to be a skinhead today in his series “Skins & Suedes.”

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Three women posed for photographer Jon Tonks at Million Dollar Point in the South Pacific. Just off the coast sits millions of dollars’ worth of abandoned US military equipment. Guns, tanks, and Jeeps were left behind after World War II.

Source: Atlas Obscura

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Alan Mozes photographed Democrats during the 2016 election for Vanity Fair.

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Here, Mozes’ “Campaign #2 Barack Obama, Sweetwater, Miami, FL” from the series “Ambition, Charm, and the Will to Power.”

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David Vintiner’s series “Transhuman” documented researchers dedicated to figuring out how technology can improve the world and the human experience.

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Richard Beaven photographed Donald Trump supporters across the US for his series “In Trump Country.”

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Harry Cory Wright’s photograph of artist Maggi Hambling, which was originally shot for Harper’s Bazaar, was recognised.

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Natasha Alipour-Faridani photographed young adults receiving their General Certificate of Secondary Education for the charity Ark.

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Alys Tomlinson’s series “Pilgrim at Lourdes, France” explored the town of Lourdes and the tourists that visit it.

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Alejandro Cartagena took photos at the Tijuana-San Diego border for his series “Without Walls.” Here is “Mother at the US-Mexico Wall.”

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And here, “Daughter at the US-Mexico Wall.”

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Financial Times photographer Charlie Bibby captured shots of former Prime Minister David Cameron in the summer of 2016.

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Dylan North photographed the Scottish island of Eigg and its locals.

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Charlie Clift photographed young adults across the world that are a part of Premier Skills, the British Council’s international partnership with Premier League Football to teach the game to underserved communities.

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Cian Oba-Smith’s series “Concrete Horsemen” explores the life of black, urban horsemen in North Philadelphia.

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