The Top 30 Photos From Our Photojournalism Contest Show The Best And Worst Of Humanity

@renebernal (Philippines)

Location: Metro Manila, Philippines

A self-taught Filipino photographer @renebernal shot this staggering photo in a dumpster in San Dionisio, a district located in the southern part of Metro Manila. His photo collected the most votes on the Agora app and won him a $1,000 cash prize.

"Everywhere in the world, children are increasingly exposed to guns, whether real ones or just toys, causing much worry to parents and the community in general. I was amazed to see these children who were playing in a dumpsite located right in the middle of Paranaque City. They were totally oblivious to the hazards of their recreation. Indeed, a poignant reminder of how these children are able to find ways to enjoy their childhood, even in the most distressing environments. I feel so lucky and happy to have won this contest as I would like to use this prize money towards my daughters' education and will donate part of it to the less fortunate children living in the slums. Discovering Agora gave me a chance to showcase my art and hopefully inspire others. I am very grateful for Agora that enables us to hear other people’s stories through photos."

@dimasrachmadan (Indonesia)

"I was so moved by this interaction between a father and his son. The child didn't want to leave his dad. The soldier took something out of his bag to give his son in order to make him feel better. If I win, I want to use the prize as a contribution to my wedding and donate the rest to my local orphanage."

@amdadhossain (Bangladesh)

Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh

"This homeless woman lives in the streets of Dhaka. Sadly, this is the most comfortable spot she could find to get some rest."

@rvb_productions (Belgium)

Location: Ypres, Belgium

"I think this shot really expressed the stupid thing about war. I want to create a sad feeling for the viewer. Those fallen soldiers have sacrificed their youth for our future. Some people should actually show more respect for the soldiers of the Great War. We must always remember them."

@chanthar (Myanmar)

Location: Mandalay, Myanmar

"The daily life of street children in Myanmar, in a dirty and dangerous environment. If I get to win the Contest, I will donate my prize to them."

@beaacevedo (Mexico)

Location: Monterrey, Mexico

"These students were protesting at their university, accusing some teachers and fellow students for sexual harassment that went unpunished. This student is explaining that the reasons why women are violated do not matter. I want to transmit the fight that we, women, have to live nowadays against physical and emotional violence in a society that imposes roles without reason. This photo documents a moment in history when women are fighting for their place in society as human beings, it shows how women today raised their voices to say: no more."

@prit28 (India)

"I wanted to portray the joy of freedom of the LGBT community after the Supreme Court of India decriminalized homosexuality by declaring Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code unconstitutional. There were more than 200 members from the community on that pride walk. It was quite an overwhelming experience for me to witness something I have never done before. I think photojournalism is a genre that should be completely blunt and honest. It should spread an awareness worldwide."

@pranab_basak (India)

"A homeless mother was standing on the ruins of her dwelling place and looking for a new destiny. During the remapping of tribal bordering, many buildings were demolished by the local administration. Thus, a large number of tribal people became homeless."

@oscar_penelo (Spain)

Location: Barcelona, Spain

"This protest march was set against the imprisonment of the pro-independence politicians. It shows a massive march demanding the reconstruction of a country with the Sagrada Família in the background, one of the symbols of Barcelona and Catalonia, under construction."

@adeelchishti (Pakistan)

Location: Lahore, Pakistan

"It was Pakistan's Independence Day celebrations: everybody was happy and enjoying this day. Then, I saw this father and son suffering from polio. I was amazed to see that a father can't leave his son alone in unhappy situations of loneliness at home. He brought out his son outside to celebrate just like any other citizen. His love for his son made me cry, I cropped his head on the photo because I'm not able to display this kind of painful emotions."

@sascams (USA)

Location: San Francisco, USA

@donaldobarros (Venezuela)

Location: Caracas, Venezuela

"It was a dangerous scene. Venezuela was in a difficult and aggressive situation. A lot of people died in those protests. Journalists were targeted all the time, not easy. I did that job for my country. I am an artist, but I stopped my art to give my best as a journalist to Venezuela and the world."

by @momin21a (Bangladesh)

Location: Jamuna river under Shirajganj District, Bangladesh

"Southern regions of Bangladesh go flooded every year because of climate change. More than 3 million people have been affected by floods, during 20 days in 21 districts."

@øystein (Norway)

Location: Melhus, Norway

"This is a normal day at work for the Norwegian search and rescue services. Training situation hoisting over the Norwegian mountains. Often the preferred way of access when the helicopter can’t land. This was a nice day, but that’s not the case every day. I was hoisted down with my kit on a nearby ridge before the rescue swimmer started his training procedure. I had to crawl in deep snow to get the right angle of light for this scene."

@RhythmOutdoors (UK)

Location: British Columbia, Canada

"After a long day, starting at 7 am, we went on a patrol at roughly 6 pm along a section of the fire's perimeter to make sure that the fire had not jumped the guard and continue to burn the untouched forest. While walking an area candles up in front of us, after a brief pause, we kept on going. 5 minutes later we looked behind and the area we were walking was black with smoke. We then received news that the fire had jumped the guard higher up. After hiking roughly and hour up what can only be described as a steep hill we made it to join the others help extinguish the area of the fire. At 9 pm we finished up making it back to base camp at 10 pm ready for supper and another 7 am start. Climate change is one of the biggest issues we face, with a huge percentage of wildfires being man-made, it is vital to spread the word and understanding on just how dangerous wildfires are to those who live in areas of the world with high heat and humidity. Being from the UK where wildfire is extremely uncommon and my lack of knowledge and understanding, to then experience working in the industry fighting fires is eye-opening."

@hrojas73 (Venezuela)

"Due to the social crisis in Venezuela, my way of protesting is to inform through photojournalism. In this photo, you can tell the difference between the armed national guard officer and the protester defending himself only with a wooden shield."

@gallery_arief (Indonesia)

Location: Lampung, Indonesia

"The story behind the photo is about a kid who isn't playing with her friends at home or outdoors, instead she is just playing with anything she can find in her parents' shop because she needs to be there every day."

@georock888 (Indonesia)

@cahyanugraha (Indonesia)

Location: Jakarta, Indonesia

"This worker sat in front of the police line during the International Workers Day march, demanding proper welfare for workers."

by @marcelvanbalken (Netherlands)

Location: Madrid, Spain