Flavorwire

Every year, the Amsterdam-based World Press Photo Awards recognize talented photojournalists worldwide who capture the year’s stories in their poignant and often provocative work. This year’s winner was South African photographer Jodi Bieber, for his haunting portrait of an 18-year-old Afghan woman who was brutally disfigured by her husband after a Taliban commander ordered her ears and nose cut off as punishment for fleeing an abusive marriage. From the aftermath of the earthquakes in China and Haiti to the excitement of the Milan Fashion Week to the alien views of exotic volcanoes, the World Press Photo selection encompasses a vast range of human experience from the year 2010. Yes, much of it is wrought with traumatic imagery, but also beauty. See a few of these breath-taking and heart-wrenching works in our gallery of the finalists. Warning: Some are very graphic.

World Press Photo of the Year 2010. Jodi Bieber’s photograph of 18-year-old domestic violence victim Bibi Aisha., disfigured by her husband as ordered by the Talbuan in Afghanistan. She now lives in the United States.