UK lensman beats 5,000 to win World Press Photo

An image of a US soldier in Afghanistan has beaten more than 80,000 other pictures to win the World Press Photo Contest title for British photographer Tim Hetherington.

‘This image shows the exhaustion of a man – and the exhaustion of a nation,’ said Gary Knight chairman of the judging panel.

‘We’re all connected to this. It’s a picture of a man at the end of a line.’

Hetherington's photograph shows a soldier resting at the ‘Restrepo’ bunker, named after a soldier killed by insurgents.

The photographer had been on assignment for Vanity Fair and captured the picture on 16 September 2007.

He wins Euros 10,000, plus a Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III digital SLR.

More than 5,000 photographers entered this year’s contest, a record number, say organisers.

See here for a gallery of this year's winning images.

•Full the full story about Leica's hints at historic plans for a full-frame digital rangefinder camera see the next issue of Amateur Photographer, available to subscribers on Saturday 9 February and in shops on Tuesday 12 February