The purpose of images goes beyond merely capturing beautiful moments; they also portray the current state of the world and serve as a reminder to care for our planet and the people around us. In 2023, this year has been filled with ups and downs as we bid farewell to the pandemic world, only to face new life struggles.
The TIME photo department has unveiled its top 100 photos of 2023, showcasing striking images including Canadian wildfires, the war in the Middle East, and even adorable newly-born panda twins. These awe-inspiring photos predominantly originate from courageous photographers employed by prominent news organizations, who often risk their safety to capture breathtaking imagery. We hope that by viewing these photos, we can cherish our peaceful lives and cultivate love for those around us. Furthermore, we aspire for the world to return to peace.
Warning: Some of the following photos could be distressing to some viewers.
Rescuers carry a girl from a collapsed building following an earthquake in Diyarbakir, Turkey, on Feb. 6.Sertac Kayar—Reuters
A man waits for clients while selling mangoes from his street stall in the late afternoon in Kandahar City, Afghanistan, on June 12.Rodrigo Abd—AP
A police officer sprays demonstrators during a protest to mark International Women’s Day in front of the National Palace in Mexico City on March 8.Toya Sarno Jordan—Reuters
A child passes over a narrow stretch of the Rio Grande at the U.S. border with Mexico on March 29. Driven partly by a surge of Venezuelans seeking asylum, a record number of people migrated from South and Central America to the U.S., with arrivals reaching 2.5 million in the federal fiscal year that ended in October.Go Nakamura—The New York Times/Redux
Responders near wreckage in the aftermath of a multi-vehicle pileup caused by “superfog” on I-55 in Manchac, La., Oct. 23.Gerald Herbert—AP
Ukrainian military medics treat their wounded comrade at a field hospital near Bakhmut, Ukraine, on Feb. 26.Evgeniy Maloletka—AP
Hatay, Turkey, a city known for its citrus industry, in the aftermath of the 7.8- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes that claimed 55,000 lives in southern Turkey and northern Syria in February.Sabiha Çimen—Magnum PhotosVillarrica volcano, one of the most active volcanoes in South America, is seen from Villarrica, south of Santiago, Chile, on Sept. 27. Sebastian Escobar—AFP/Getty Images
Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, and Britain’s Catherine, Princess of Wales, attend the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey in London on May 6.Yui Mok—WPA Pool/Getty Images
Members of Spain’s women’s soccer team, with fullback Ona Batlle at center, celebrate moments after winning the FIFA World Cup on Aug. 20. They became the first Spanish women’s team to bring home a World Cup title by beating England 1-0 in Sydney.Hannah Mckay—Reuters
Coco Gauff holds the winner trophy after defeating Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in their Women’s Singles Final match on Day Thirteen of the 2023 US Open in Queens, NY on Sept. 9.Al Bello—Getty Images
Accumulation of rubbish in the streets of Paris on the ninth day of the garbage collectors strike against the pension reform on March 14.Marie Magnin—Hans Lucas/ReduxA woman enters the sea from a beach where wildfires destroyed the woods, at Glystra near the village of Gennadi in the southern part of the Greek island of Rhodes, on July 27.Angelos Tzortzinis—AFP/Getty Images
A vehicles carries refugees from Nagorno-Karabakhb as they arrive in Kornidzor, Armenia, on Sept. 25.Nanna Heitmann—The New York Times/Redux
Sarah Salmonese sits where her apartment once stood in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, two days after it was devastated by wildfire, on Aug. 11.Go Nakamura—The New York Times/Redux
Afghan children attend a class at an open air school on the outskirts of Fayzabad district, Badakhshan province on March 27.Omer Abrar—AFP/Getty Images
A group of spectators watch the Pride celebrations from their stoop across the street from Washington Square Park in New York City on June 25.Alex Kent
The hall of historic Waiola Church in Lahaina and nearby Lahaina Hongwanji Mission are engulfed in flames along Wainee Street in Lahaina, Hawaii on Aug. 8.Matthew Thayer—The Maui News/AP
People carry injured and dead Palestinians from the rubbles of buildings as civil defense teams and civilians conduct search and rescue operations after Israeli attacks on Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, on Oct. 27.Ali Jadallah—Anadolu/Getty Images
Rescuers work at the site of a passenger train accident in Balasore district, in the eastern Indian state of Orissa, on June 3, 2023. Two passenger trains derailed in India, killing more than 280 people, with hundreds of others trapped inside more than a dozen mangled rail cars, in one of the country’s deadliest train crashes in decades.Arabinda Mahapatra—AP
The father of Valentin (Eli) Ghnassia, 23, who was killed in an attack by Hamas militants at Kibbutz Be’eeri near the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip cries next to the casket before it is lowered during his funeral in Jerusalem on October 12 | Alexi J. Rosenfeld—Getty Images
My name is Oliver, and I am an amateur street and architecture photographer who loves to capture the essence of travel through my lens. I use iPhone 14 and Sony 6400 camera paired with the versatile Tamron 18mm-300mm f/3.5-f/6.3 lens to bring my vision to life.
