REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov
Celebrity deaths, political upheaval, and economic uncertainty — 2016 has not been an easy year for some.
But it was not all doom and gloom. All around the world, great things are happening every day, providing moments of happiness and positivity in the face of adversity.
We’ve rounded up some of the most stunning and inspirational images taken by talented photographers this year that capture moments of friendship, beauty, pride, and triumph.
From a businessman taking a moment to admire cherry blossoms in Tokyo, to a cartoon film screening set up for children at a makeshift migrant camp, here are the images that have the power to change your view of 2016.
A businessman admired the beauty of the cherry blossoms in Tokyo, Japan, in April.
Sport association Castellers de Vilafranca formed a human tower called “castell” during their biannual competition in Tarragona City, Spain.
A masked reveller hung from an inflatable balloon during the first day of the carnival in Venice, Italy.
Riders and their horses of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna performed a dress rehearsal for the media at the SSE Arena in London.
Five-year-old Lionel Messi fan Murtaza Ahmadi wore an Argentina shirt signed by the Barcelona star as he played football in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Onlookers were astonished by the fireworks that exploded over Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to celebrate the New Year.
A couple kissed on the bank of the Seine River in Paris as high waters were causing flooding.
Visitors at a giant panda breeding centre in Ya’an, Sichuan province, China, saw 10 giant panda cubs, ageing from one week to two months, for the first time in August.
Taylor Swift was overjoyed when she heard the news that friend Ed Sheeran had won Song of the Year at the 58th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California.
Red and white balloons were released during the opening ceremony of the newly built Yavuz Sultan Selim bridge in Istanbul, Turkey.
Children played at a makeshift camp for migrants and refugees at the Greek-Macedonian border near the village of Idomeni, Greece.
Russian servicemen marched during the Victory Day parade, marking the 71st anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, at Red Square in Moscow, Russia.
Actress Brie Larson couldn’t contain her joy after winning the award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for “Room” at the 22nd Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles, California.
France’s Gael Monfils made a big dive for a shot during his fourth round match against Russia’s Andrey Kuznetsov at the Australian Open tennis tournament.
During a ceremony on Makha Bucha Day in Pathum Thani province, north of Bangkok, a Buddhist monk lit a candle at Wat Phra Dhammakaya. The celebration, which falls on the full moon day of the third lunar month, honours Buddha and his teachings.
The supermoon rose behind the Soyuz MS-03 spacecraft at the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The spacecraft has since successfully docked at the International Space Station.
Wildfires glowed underneath The Northern Lights near Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada.
Russian paratroopers jumped past a rainbow out of a IL-76 transport plane during a joint Serbian-Russian military training exercise in the town of Kovin, near Belgrade, Serbia.
Fog covered the Inntal valley as this photographer caught a stunning sunset from the Hundskopf mountain in the western Austrian village of Gnadenwald, Austria.
Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated with Nani and Joao Mario after scoring their second goal during a game against Hungary in the Euro 2016 Championships in Lyon, France.
A jet airliner left a vapor trail in front of Mercury as it transited across the face of the sun in Las Vegas, Nevada. The planet passes between Earth and the sun only about 13 times a century, with the previous transit taking place in 2006.
Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen posed at the Paseo del Prado street in Havana, Cuba, before Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel fashion show.
LED lights attached to pigeons left light trails in the sky as part of the “Fly By Night” art installation by Duke Riley above New York.
A swimmer enjoyed a leisurely dip after breaking the ice on a frozen lake at a park in Shenyang, China.
Canada men’s wheelchair basketball team player Adam Lancia kissed his wife Jamey Jewells of Canada after her playoff match against China at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.
A photographer used a long exposure to capture the star trails in the night sky over a camp in Altyn-Emel national park, Kazakhstan.
Halloween saw this magical remote-controlled plane in the form of a witch fly over a neighbourhood in Encinitas, US, as the sun set.
Children at the Greek-Macedonian border, near the village of Idomeni, watched a cartoon movie, screened at a makeshift camp for migrants and refugees.
In the Hallerbos near the Belgian city of Halle, also known as the “Blue Forest,” wild bluebells carpeted the forest.
During the 2016 Rio Olympics, Usain Bolt of Jamaica smiled back at Andre De Grasse of Canada as they competed in the Men’s 100m Semifinal.
A student of the General Yermolov Cadet School jumped from a plane with the moon behind him outside the southern city of Stavropol, Russia.
In Jerusalem’s Mea Shearim neighbourhood, Ultra-Orthodox Jews danced next to a bonfire during celebrations for the Jewish holiday of Lag Ba-Omer.
Clouds surrounded the Christ the Redeemer statue over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Soap bubbles floated past the Houses of Parliament in central London.
Rafaela Silva of Brazil was overwhelmed after winning the gold medal in the Women’s 57kg Judo Final at Rio 2016.
This photo captured a bee flying close to a sunflower, unaware of the pack of Tour de France riders cycling behind.
Israeli soldiers of the Search and Rescue brigade held hands as they took part in a training session in Ben Shemen forest, near the city of Modi’.
This stunning photo showed the Aurora Borealis — or Northern Lights — appear over Great Bear Lake in Deline, Canada. It is the world’s 8th largest lake.
Children attended a swim training session at the Hangzhou Chen Jinglun Sport school Natatorium in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China. They were inspired by Chinese Olympic swimmers Sun Yang and Fu Yuanhui, who also trained there.
Sergio Colas played with his daughter Alaia during the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, northern Spain.
The Thunderbirds performed a fly-over as graduates from the Air Force Academy tossed their hats in the air at the conclusion of their commencement ceremony in Colorado Springs, US.
Teenagers on roller skates held on to each other as they were pulled by a vintage car in Havana, Cuba.
Brave tourists walked on a sightseeing platform in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province, China.
A photographer captured a polar bear at an aquarium at the Grandview mall in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China.
A Chelsea Pensioner posed as he viewed a floral design of Queen Elizabeth at the Chelsea Flower Show in London.
A visitor to the Sydney Botanical Garden’s inaugural contribution to the Vivid Sydney light festival snapped a picture of the ‘Cathedral of Light’ during a preview of the annual interactive light installation around Sydney, Australia.
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