Category: Economy Science & Technology News Singles - The Long March 2F rocket(CZ-3C) carrying Chang'e-2 satellite is successfully launched at China's Xichang Satellite Launch Center. Shi Wei / Wuhan Morning Post

Award-winning images from the 7th China International Press Photo Contest capture a year of human spirit.

From earthquake-hit Yushu to flood-ravaged Pakistan, to wartorn Afghanistan, photographers and their cameras stand and witness the moments that change lives and history, and provide a powerful record of what they see.

It's time to honor their bravery and passion again.

The seventh China International Press Photo Contest (CIPPC), an annual competition organized by China Photo Journalism Society, ended Friday in Nantong, Jiangsu province, with the announcement of award-winning pictures in eight categories.

CIPPC invited 13 international judges to select the most outstanding pictures from among 38,000 photographs taken by 3,300 photo journalists and photographers from 70 countries and regions.

More than 60 percent of the photo entries are from foreign competitors, which shows "the influence and internality of the contest", according to the judging committee.

"Yushu Farewell Relatives", by Zhang Hongwei with Huashang Daily in northwest China, has won the highest honor: Picture of the Year.

Zhao Derui, chairman of the judging committee, said the award-winning images display the drama of human society, the desire for peace and development, and the struggle against wars and disasters.

In an effort to fight against faked photos, the award-winners will be publicized for two weeks to get a critical review from the media and the public.

The winning photos have the kind of power the artist Pablo Picasso recognized when he said: "I have discovered photography. Now I can kill myself. I have nothing else to learn."