About


Pictures of the Year International is the oldest and one of the most prestigious photojournalism programs in the world.


The mission of POYi is to empower the world's best documentary photography, to provide a visual portrayal of society, and to foster an understanding of the issues facing our civilization.


POYi presents public exhibitions, promotes professional development, and cultivates its vast 38,000-image archive of historic photographs. These programs have enormous potential to engage and educate citizens about their world and the role of a free press in a democratic society.


Since 1944, Pictures of the Year International has set the gold standard for documentary photography. Now in its 66th year, POYi continues to reflect the news events, social issues, and cultural influences of our world by recognizing excellence in photojournalism.


Copyrights & Usage


Pictures of the Year International (POYi) recognizes and respects that copyrights are held by the photographer and/or news organization.  Individuals or organizations interested in republishing any of the images displayed on this Web site are urged to contact either the original photographer or the news organization.  You must obtain usage rights from them.  Resale of photographs is a common procedure for most major news organizations and they should be able to assist.  POYi is a non-profit, academic program dedicated to journalism education and professional development, and affiliated with the Missouri School of Journalism.  By entering POYi, the photographers and news organizations graciously grant permission to Pictures of the Year International to display the winning images only for educational or academic research purposes, and for the promotion of the Pictures of the Year International program.  Copyright violations are a serious concern, and POYi honors the organization's and/or photographer's rights regarding reprint and usage permissions.


With sincere thanks to


The Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute


  • Pam Johnson, Executive Director, RJI
  • Dean Mills, Dean of the Missouri School of Journalism
  • Janet Jensen, Administrative Assistant

School of Information Science and Learning Technologies


  • Dr. Thomas Kochtanek, Associate Professor
  • Zach Coble, Graduate Research Assistant
  • Sean Burns, Graduate Research Assistant
  • Anthony (A.J.) Million, Graduate Research Assistant

Photojournalism Sequence


  • David Rees, Chair
  • Randy Olson, MA, 1983 archive project
  • Matt Milios, MA, 2002 archive project
  • Beverly Denny, Graduate Research Assistant
  • Suzanne Lafferty, Graduate Research Assistant

Contact Info


If you have any questions about usage and content or if you would like to contact us for any other purpose, please send an email to info@poyi.org.