The best press photos of 2025 continue to document a world in motion — from political upheaval and military exercises to ancient rituals and moments of profound human emotion. This eleventh set gathers nineteen compelling images captured by leading photojournalists between January 18 and January 25, 2025, spanning five continents and covering stories that defined the opening weeks of the year.
Post-Assad Syria: Ruins, Drugs, and Fallen Symbols
One of the most consequential stories of early 2025 unfolded in Syria, where the 61-year Baath regime had collapsed after Bashar al-Assad fled the country in December 2024.
On January 18, 2025, officials in Latakia inspected one of the largest narcotics warehouses ever linked to the ousted Baath regime. The scene showed truckloads of narcotic substances alongside items used for concealment, offering a stark glimpse into the infrastructure of the fallen government. The photograph was taken by Izettin Kasim for Anadolu via Getty Images.
A day later, on January 19, two men were photographed standing atop the shattered remains of a colossal statue of Hafez al-Assad — Bashar’s father and founding leader of the Baath dynasty — in Deir Atiye in the Damascus countryside. The statue, which had been the largest of Hafez al-Assad in Syria, was torn down on December 8, the same day Bashar al-Assad abandoned the country. Ercin Erturk captured the image for Anadolu via Getty Images.
Orthodox Epiphany: Ice, Faith, and Tradition
Across the Orthodox Christian world, January 19 marked the feast of Epiphany, celebrated with the ancient ritual of immersion in frozen water — a practice believers hold to be purifying for both body and spirit.
In Leninskoye village near Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, a woman was photographed lowering herself into an ice hole cut from a frozen surface, her expression a mixture of determination and devotion. Igor Kovalenko captured the moment for EPA.
Thousands of kilometres away, a similar scene played out in Moscow, where a woman plunged into the icy waters of the Stroginskaya floodplain. Alexander Zemlianichenko documented the ritual for AP Photo, underscoring how deeply embedded this tradition remains across the former Soviet world.
India’s Republic Day Preparations
With India’s Republic Day scheduled for January 26, rehearsals were already underway across the country, blending cultural spectacle with military precision.
On January 21, folk artists rehearsed colourful dance performances for the Republic Day parade in New Delhi, their formations and costumes representing the diversity of India’s cultural heritage. Priyanshu Singh photographed the rehearsal for Reuters.
Three days later, in Bengaluru on January 24, soldiers from the Punjab Regiment of the Indian Army conducted a full dress rehearsal, showcasing their weapons skills with disciplined precision. The image was captured by Abhishek Chinnappa for Getty Images.
California Wildfires: A State Under Siege
The Lilac fire in unincorporated San Diego County, California, was still burning on January 21, 2025, when Josh Edelson photographed a helicopter conducting aerial surveillance in a striking long-exposure image for AFP. By January 20, Los Angeles firefighters were already exhausted, bracing for another round of dangerous wind gusts. California’s governor publicly condemned what he called “hurricane-force winds of misinformation” surrounding the crisis. The two largest fires had together destroyed nearly 40,000 acres (16,000 hectares) and levelled entire neighbourhoods of the second-largest US city; both were reported to be more than half contained at the time.
NATO’s Largest Exercise of 2025
On January 21, British military vehicles rolled into a Hungarian military base at Szentes as part of Exercise Steadfast Dart — NATO’s largest planned exercise of 2025. The drill was designed to practise a large-scale deployment of land, sea, and air forces across Europe, and it marked the first operational deployment under the alliance’s newly established Allied Reaction Force (ARF), which replaced the former NATO Response Force the previous year. Ben Birchall photographed the arrival for PA Images via Getty Images.
Cultural Celebrations Around the World
January 2025 was rich with cultural events and festivals across the globe, each image a testament to the enduring power of tradition.
At the Kanda Myojin Shinto shrine in Tokyo on January 18, worshippers doused themselves with buckets of ice-cold water during the annual cold-endurance festival — a longstanding Japanese ritual of spiritual purification and prayer for good health in the new year. Eugene Hoshiko captured the moment for AP Photo.
In Quang Phu Cau village outside Hanoi, Vietnam, a worker carefully arranged rows of incense sticks left out to dry in a courtyard, preparing for the Lunar New Year celebrations. Athit Perawongmetha documented the quiet, colourful scene for Reuters on January 20.
In the municipality of Diriamba, Nicaragua, on January 19, men took part in the traditional “Toro Huaco” dance during the Tope de los Santos procession. This ancestral performance is said to embody the cunning and defiant spirit of Nicaraguans during the colonial era. The photograph was provided by EPA/EFE/Stringer.
In Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, a performer took the stage at the 2025 Happy Chinese New Year Chinese Opera Gala on January 19. Organised annually by the Canada Chinese Opera Arts Center, the event welcomed the approaching Lunar New Year with traditional operatic artistry. The image was published by Xinhua News Agency via Rex Features/Shutterstock.
On January 23 in downtown Montevideo, Uruguay, a person dressed in a vibrant carnival costume was photographed shopping at a local store, a colourful preview of the city’s upcoming carnival festivities. Matilde Campodonico took the picture for AP Photo.
Fashion, Politics, and Power
During New York Fashion Week on February 12, 2024, a model walked the runway presenting a look from LaQuan Smith’s Fall/Winter 2024 collection. Andrew Kelly photographed the striking ensemble for Reuters.
On January 20, 2025, US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump shared a dance to “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” at the Commander-In-Chief inaugural ball, held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. Jim Watson captured the moment for AFP Photo.
Also on January 20, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk took the stage at the inaugural parade inside Capitol One Arena in Washington, DC, delivering an address accompanied by animated gestures. Angela Weiss photographed the scene for AFP Photo.
Crisis and Conflict: Migration and Tragedy
On January 18, in Chihuahua, Mexico, a dramatic and distressing scene unfolded as Mexican authorities carried out an eviction operation against a migrant encampment. As officials moved in, the makeshift camp caught fire, and the raw reactions of the migrants were documented by Jose Luis Gonzalez for Reuters.
In Aschaffenburg, Germany, on January 24, soft toys, lit candles, and floral arrangements marked the site where two people — one of them a child — had been killed in a knife attack earlier that week. The memorial fell on the same day the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party held a commemorative event at the location. Kai Pfaffenbach photographed the tribute for Reuters.
A Symbol of Hope: Israeli Hostages Released
One of the most emotionally resonant images in this collection shows Liri Albag, one of four young Israeli women soldiers freed on January 25, 2025, after more than 15 months in captivity. Abducted by Palestinian militants on October 7, 2023, while stationed near the Gaza border, she was photographed forming a heart shape with her hands from the window of a military helicopter as it prepared to land at the Shneider Children’s Medical Centre in Petah Tikva, Israel. Jack Guez captured the deeply moving moment for AFP Photo.
This set of images joins a remarkable body of work documenting the first weeks of 2025. For more powerful photojournalism from this period, explore our Best Press Photos of 2025: Set 10 — January in Focus and the Best World Press Photos: Early January 2025 collection.
Together, these nineteen frames remind us that photojournalism — at its finest — does not merely record events. It bears witness to them, giving shape and meaning to the forces, large and small, that move the world.
