2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
First Place: Susana Giron
First Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Jos (84), who has suffered the consequences of a stroke for years, walks down the hallway of his home with the help of his cane in order to do some mobility exercises in Minas del Castillo de las Guardas, Seville, Spain as of May 31, 2020.
Susana Giron
First Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Today marks the tenth day of confinement due to the coronavirus crisis. Jos, 84 years old, tries to pass the time as active as possible without leaving home. For him the time goes slowly without being able to enjoy his two favorite hobbies: soccer and domino games. Moreover, he cant go to the Senior Center where he usually went every day on the outskirts of Seville. His family, to make the afternoons not so boring and take chance to exercise his mind, prepares exercises and drawings for him. Today he completed the first alphabet soup of his life.
Susana Giron
First Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
On Jos's nightstand (84), there are accumulated memories and objects that he needs in these days of COVID-19 in his house in the Minas de Castillo de las Guardas (Seville) on May 30, 2020.
Susana Giron
First Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Jos (84), stretches in his bed after waking up in the morning. Every day at 10.30 is usually the time to get up at his house in Minas del Castillo de las Guardas (Seville) on May 31, 2020.
Susana Giron
First Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
The programs on the coronavirus with the latest news and figures with a new record of infections by COVID-19, monopolize television moments, while Jos (84) spends the hours in his room in Minas del Castillo de las Guardas (Seville) at 31 March 2020.
Susana Giron
First Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
El Estado de Alarma apenas lleva decretado unos das. Jos toma su desayuno por la maana en su habitacin. Las pocas personas que acceden a l a diario (su cuidadora y sus dos hijos) utilizan guantes y extreman las medidas de seguridad respecto al contagio del COVID-19 en su casa de Minas del Castillo de las Guardas (Sevilla) a 22 de Marzo de 2020.
Susana Giron
First Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Jos waits by the fire for the arrival of his children to have lunch together at the Restaurant, closed due to the COVID-19 crisis that his son Jos Antonio runs. The State of Alarm has just been decreed, and for a few days the rural area in which Jos lives has suffered continuous power outages that last hours in Minas del Castillo de las Guardas (Seville) on March 21, 2020.
Susana Giron
First Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Jos (84) and his son Jos Antonio (48), talk in the facilities of the rural tourist complex that he runs and that remains closed to the public due to the COVID-19 crisis in Minas del Castillo de las Guardas on May 31, 2020.
Susana Giron
First Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Retrato de Jos (84) durante el confinamiento en su vivienda de Minas de Castillo de las Guardas a 28 de Marzo de 2020.
Susana Giron
First Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Jos (84) sitting in his room alone while waiting for the arrival of lunch during the confinement period in his home in Minas del Castillo de las Guardas on April 5, 2020.
Susana Giron
First Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Views of the window from Jos's room (84) in his home in Minas del Castillo de las Guardas (Seville) on June 3, 2020
Susana Giron
First Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
It is cold and the clouds threaten April rain. Jos has gone out to the yard of his house looking for light. He escapes from the cold weather by taking refuge inside the car, at least a chance to change the landscape of his room. Three weeks already confined by a certain coronavirus that according to what some people say, is making a big desaster. A large patio that today, more than ever, is a blessing. I look at him from the outside, with a glass in the middle that separates us and protects him.
Susana Giron
Second Place: Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Second Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Death has become an overwhelming financial burden for many of Venezuelas poorest, who already struggle to find dignity in life. They scrape together food and shelter needed to get through each day, and a relative's death can become the breaking point. The cost of transporting a body, buying a casket and burial plot for a funeral can run into the hundreds of dollars, or more. In Venezuela, most earn the minimum wage of roughly $3 a month as hyperinflation devours pay. Some overcome the financial burden of a relative's death by renting caskets, a cheaper option than buying one. Others turn to amateur morticians, who embalm bodies at home and convert wooden furniture into coffins. For many in Maracaibo, Venezuela's economic crash in the last five years hit especially hard. Among life's struggle, too often comes the need to provide a relative with a dignified death. Community activist Carolin Leal has assumed the role of funeral director in her poor and often violent Maracaibo neighborhood of Altos de Milagro Norte, hoping to rid families of unnecessary misery she's seen too many times. Leal, 42, has formed a team with two other neighbors who employ their unique skills to bring dignity to the dead. One busy month recently, Leal said she oversaw 12 funerals. Zaida Bravo, who suffers Parkinson's disease and is malnourished, waits for dinner on her dirty mattress in her one room living quarters in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Nov. 28, 2019. The 48-year-old's sister Ana Bravo brings her food when she can, but for the last four years the older sister has had trouble affording even rice or cornmeal. We can't find her medicine or even know how to help her, so we're letting what happens happen, Ana Bravo, 57, said. Sometimes, I'm afraid to go inside and find her dead.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Second Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Community activist Carolina Leal uses a cell phone to light up the work area for Roberto Molero as he prepares the body of Teresa Jimenez, 91, after she died of natural causes in her home in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Nov. 17, 2019. Molero embalms bodies with no training other than seeing it done during a decade that he work as a driver at a funeral home, while Leal assumes the role of funeral director in her poor and often violent Maracaibo neighborhood, hoping to rid families of unnecessary misery she's seen too many times.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Second Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Sergio Morales, right, and Joelvis Cantillo, build a simple coffin at their furniture workshop in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Nov. 20, 2019. Two years ago the carpenters started building coffins for less than $100 instead of furniture due to the high demand for cheaper coffins.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Second Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Cemetery workers lift a corpse from a coffin to a metal plate as they prepare the body for cremation at a cemetery in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Nov. 27, 2019. Some overcome the financial burden of a relative's death by renting caskets, a cheaper option than buying one.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Second Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
A man's body lies in a coffin before being cremated at a cemetery Maracaibo, Venezuela, Nov. 23, 2019. The man's family said they cremated him because it is much cheaper than burial, and took his ashes home.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Second Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
In this Nov. 29, 2019 photo, cemetery worker Roberto Jesus Sangroni, known by his friends as "Makuka," shows the rope that was used to help retrieve the body of Nerio Jesus Garcia Castillo from Maracaibo Lake, at a makeshift morgue inside the municipal cemetery in Cabimas, Venezuela. Garcia, who had been serving a jail sentence, had been shot between the eyes and dumped into the water.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Second Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
An oxidized coffin lies next to a grave that was dug up by thieves at "Corazon de Jesus" cemetery, or Heart of Jesus cemetery, in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Nov. 21, 2019. Thieves often raid graves for valuables, while public cemeteries often go abandoned, overgrown with weeds.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Second Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Cemetery worker Roberto Jesus Sangroni, known by his friends as "Makuka," covers the body of Nerio Jesus Garcia with lime, moments after his autopsy to help reduce the smell, two days after his death as he prepares the body for a wake burial at the municipal cemetery in Cabimas, Venezuela, Nov. 30, 2019. Garcia's mother found his corpse with a gun shot between his eyes on the bank of Maracaibo Lake following a phone call from a prisoner that her son had escaped from jail.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Second Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
In this Nov. 27, 2019 photo, cemetery workers prepare the corpse of 11-month-old Anabella for her cremation at a cemetery in Maracaibo, Venezuela. Anabella's father Fernando Gonzalez said doctors told him his daughter died of malnutrition, however, "Sepsis. Central nervous system infection" was written on her death certificate. Gonzalez said he was thankful his boss at the cemetery donated his daughter's wake and cremation services, because he didn't have the money for a funeral.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Second Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Roberto Parra carries the remains of his son Matias Alejandro alongside his wife Maria Isabel Parra and daughter Alejandra Parra at San Sebastian municipality cemetery before burying him in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Nov. 27, 2019. Parra said his 19-day-old boy died after he was born with lung problems at a public hospital, where, after his wife was turned away from the first hospital, was left to deliver alone in a dirty chair before doctors rushed her up the stairs with her baby's head already exposed. Although the baby was born with respiratory problems, they were told to take him home because he could get sicker if they stayed.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Third Place: Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Third Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Brother Ronald Marin is one of the few who administers funerals in this cemetery far from the center of Peru's capital that looks like a miniature city wedged between two desert hills. Brother Ronald Marin, a 30-year-old layworker from Venezuela, walks along a paved dirt inside the "Martires 19 de Julio" cemetery in Comas, on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, Saturday, July 4, 2020. Wearing a white robe and shoes worn down by dust, Marin is one of the few who administers funerals in this cemetery far from the center of Peru's capital.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Third Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Brother Ronald Marin, a 30-year-old layworker from Venezuela, sprinkles holy water on the coffin that contains the remains of 97-year-old Ruben Val, as granddaughter Leslie Gonzalez holds her cell phone in place so that her parents can take part in the service via video conferencing in Comas, on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, Thursday, July 23, 2020. Val died of natural causes.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Third Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Brother Ronald Marin, a 30-year-old layworker from Venezuela, visits with relatives and neighbors after leading a memorial service marking the one-month death anniversary of Julia Ascencio, who died from the new coronavirus, in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, July 21, 2020. The presence of the laity in areas where the church never came summons neighbors who dressed in protective facemasks come to pray.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Third Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Brother Ronald Marin, a 30-year-old layworker from Venezuela, prays with Jose Munoz, who suffers from osteoarthritis, in Comas, on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, Thursday, July 23, 2020. Catholic churches in Peru closed their temples to avoid contagions, but a handful of the devout, including Marin, believe that their duty is to pray with the sick, provide support in cemeteries and pray with family members of the victims.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Third Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
A child looks out her front door while Brother Ronald Marin, a 30-year-old layworker from Venezuela, visits to pray with family members of COVID-19 victims, in Comas, on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, Thursday, July 23, 2020. Shortly after arriving in Lima, Marin met a parish priest where he was assigned a janitor job for a month before being sent to the cemetery to comfort the mourners. When he is not tending to the deceased, he visits the surrounding neighborhoods to pray with faithful and teach catechism to children.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Third Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Brother Ronald Marin, a 30-year-old layworker from Venezuela, points to an X-ray of his lungs illuminated by a car dome light, in the Comas district, on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, Thursday, July 23, 2020. Marin left Venezuela after protesting for more than a decade against the socialist government and when in 2018 he became infected with tuberculosis, a doctor recommended that he migrate in order to feed himself better.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Third Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Brother Ronald Marin, a 30-year-old layworker from Venezuela, walks along a paved dirt road lined by graves, inside the "Martires 19 de Julio" cemetery in Comas, on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, Saturday, July 4, 2020. Wearing a white robe and shoes worn down by dust, Marin is one of the few who administers funerals in this cemetery far from the center of Peru's capital.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Third Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Brother Ronald Marin, a 30-year-old layworker from Venezuela, prays over the coffin that contains the remains of Keizer Quinones and Sarai Araujo's unborn daughter, at a burial service in the "Martires 19 de Julio" cemetery in Comas, on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, Tuesday, July 21, 2020. Marin is one of the few Catholic Church representatives who administers funerals in the cemetery far from the capital's center that looks like a miniature city wedged between two desert hills.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Third Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Aurora Davila, right, comforts her grieving 15-year-old granddaughter Tatiana Palomo as she lies on the grave of her father who died from the new coronavirus, during a burial service at the "Martires 19 de Julio" cemetery in Comas, on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, Saturday, July 4, 2020. Peru has the highest COVID-19 death rate per million in the Americas, above Chile, the United States, Brazil and Mexico.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Third Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Brother Ronald Marin, a 30-year-old layworker from Venezuela, talks with mourners Ines Rodriguez and Elisa Sabogal, as the remains of their 62-year-old uncle Arturo Sotelo, who died from the new coronavirus, are buried at the "Martires 19 de Julio" cemetery in Comas, on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, Saturday, July 18, 2020. "What we do is try to make people find hope," said the man who until 2018 was a school teacher and ultimately took the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Third Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Brother Ronald Marin, a 30-year-old layworker from Venezuela, leads a burial service for the unborn daughter of Keizer Quinones and Sarai Araujo in the "Martires 19 de Julio" cemetery in Comas, on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, Tuesday, July 21, 2020. Marin is one of the few Catholic Church representatives who administers funerals in the cemetery far from the capital's center that looks like a miniature city wedged between two desert hills.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Third Place - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
Brother Ronald Marin, a 30-year-old layworker from Venezuela, removes his robe after conducting his last prayer of the day, at the "Martires 19 de Julio" cemetery in the Comas district, on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, Wednesday, July 15, 2020.
Rodrigo Abd / Associated Press
Honorable Mention: Petros Giannakouris / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
In this Monday May 25, 2020 photo a cat stands on an old projector on display at the Zephyros open-air cinema that specializes in films from past decades in Ano Petralona in central Athens.
Petros Giannakouris / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
In this Friday May 29, 2020 film reels are seen inside a warehouse at the Zephyros open-air cinema that specializes in films from past decades in Ano Petralona in central Athens.
Petros Giannakouris / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
In this Saturday, May 30, 2020 photo, projector operator Pavlos Lepeniotis operates his equipment and peers out from the projection booth at the Zephyros open-air cinema that specializes in films from past decades in Ano Petralona, central Athens.
Petros Giannakouris / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
In this Monday June 1, 2020 photo, Panos and Marianna, the only customers at the Zephyros open-air cinema that specializes in films from past decades in Ano Petralona, central Athens, are seen on the first day the cinema opened after the easing of Greeces lockdown.
Petros Giannakouris / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
In this Saturday, May 30, 2020 photo, a black and white movie is shown on a screen as projectionist Pavlos Lepeniotis operates his equipment from the projection booth at the Zephyros open-air cinema that specializes in films from past decades in Ano Petralona, central Athens.
Petros Giannakouris / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
In this Tuesday June 2 , 2020 photo people watch act I would rather not by stand-up comedians Vironas Theodoropoulos and Michalis Mathioudakis at the Panathinea outdoor cinema, in Neapoli, central Athens.
Petros Giannakouris / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
In this Wednesday, June 3, 2020 photo, projector operator Pavlos Lepeniotis checks the quality of a movie film inside a warehouse at the Zephyros open-air cinema that specializes in films from past decades in Ano Petralona, central Athens. Lepeniotis has worked in movie theaters since age 12.
Petros Giannakouris / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
In this Wednesday, June 3, 2020 photo moviegoers watch the 2019 South Korean black comedy film Parasites at the Panathinea outdoor cinema in Neapoli, central Athens.
Petros Giannakouris / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
In this Thursday June 4 , 2020 photo moviegoers stand outside the entrance of the Thision outdoor summer cinema where moviegoers watch films under the ancient Acropolis. Cine Thision is one of the oldest open-air movie theaters in Athens, built in 1935.
Petros Giannakouris / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
In this Thursday June 4 , 2020 photo passers by looks at movie notices outside the Thision outdoor summer cinema where moviegoers watch films under the ancient Acropolis. Cine Thision is one of the oldest open-air movie theaters in Athens, built in 1935.
Petros Giannakouris / Associated Press
Honorable Mention - 2020 Feature Picture Story/Essay
In this Thursday June 4 , 2020 photo people watch a trailer of the movie 2019 Pinocchio at the Thisio outdoor summer cinema as the Ancient Acropolis is seen lit up in the background. Cine Thision is one of the oldest open-air movie theaters in Athens, built in 1935.
Petros Giannakouris / Associated Press