UNICEF photos of the year 2011

Unicef photo of the year 2011

The Unicef photo of the year award has been held annually by Unicef Germany and GEO magazine since 2000. The award is given to photographers whose work captures the personalities and living conditions of children around the world in an outstanding manner

guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 21 December 2011 19.26 GMT

Honourable mention: The Situation Seems Hopeless by Jan Grarup from Denmark. Photograph: Jan Grarup/NOOR for Save the children

Honourable mention: Young Beauties for the World's Catwalks by British photographer Anastasia Taylor-Lind. Photograph: Anastasia Taylor-Lind/VII

Honourable mention: The Dictatorship of Scarcity by Jurgen Escher from Germany. Photograph: Juergen Escher/Laif

Honourable mention: Stranded After the Flood by Luca Tommasini, Italy. Photograph: Luca Tommasini

Honourable mention: Standing to Attention in School by Sergey Kozmin of Russia. Photograph: Sergey Kozmin/Focus

Honourable mention: Target Roma by Mugur Varzariu from Romania. Photograph: Mugur Varzariu/Freier

Third prize: Crippled Due to Rejection of Vaccines by American Mary F Calvert. Photograph: Mary F. Calvert/Zuma Press

Second prize: Drought, Poverty, Hunger by J M Lopez of Spain. Photograph: JM Lopez

First prize: Waste Export to Africa by Kai Löffelbein from Germany, a photography student at University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Hannover. Photograph: Kai Löffelbein

What heartbreaking pictures. Did you notice that the Asian children are all boys and all of them are wearing pink socks? Some of them are wearing the same kind of sweat pants and shirt. I wonder what that photo is all about.

Constance wrote:Did you notice that the Asian children are all boys and all of them are wearing pink socks? Some of them are wearing the same kind of sweat pants and shirt. I wonder what that photo is all about.

You know, that detail hadn't even registered with me. It takes a woman's eye to spot these things.

eddie wrote:

Constance wrote:Did you notice that the Asian children are all boys and all of them are wearing pink socks? Some of them are wearing the same kind of sweat pants and shirt. I wonder what that photo is all about.

You know, that detail hadn't even registered with me. It takes a woman's eye to spot these things.

No, you know I scrutinized the picture because it was Asian kids. So adorable. You know I'm prejudiced, but I think Asian kids are the cutest in the world. I have such a good time at Chinese school watching the little brothers and sisters of the students.

I've been to a few orphanages in China for my volunteer work and the children in the photo reminded me of the kids in orphanages. Granted I saw kids in cities where there is more money for social welfare programs, but the kids I saw got a fair amount of love and attention from the caregivers. But they get by with very little. I'
believe that the orphanages in the rural parts of China are very poor and sad.