The year’s most confronting and compelling press photos from around the globe will be shown in Auckland from June 22nd as part of the World Press Photo Exhibition 2012.

From rebellion through to civil war; great sporting moments and incredible shots from the animal kingdom, through to heart wrenching emotions and devastation - the 2012 World Press Photo Exhibition has an amazing collection of images which capture events from around the world.

This exhibition, which travels the world, showcases the winners of an international photojournalism competition and will be brought to the city by the Rotary Club of Auckland.

The 2012 winner was a picture by Samuel Aranda from Spain. The picture shows a woman holding her wounded son in her arms, inside a mosque used as a field hospital by demonstrators against the rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, during clashes in Sanaa, Yemen on 15 October 2011.

Judges commented: "The winning photo shows a poignant, compassionate moment, the human consequence of an enormous event, an event that is still going on. We might never know who this woman is, cradling an injured relative, but together they become a living image of the courage of ordinary people that helped create an important chapter in the history of the Middle East."

The exhibition contains about 160 photographs, chosen from more than 100,000 images submitted to the competition by photojournalists, agencies, newspapers and magazines from countries all around the globe.

Proceeds from the entry fee will be donated to the charitable causes supported by the Rotary Club of Auckland.