These photographs tugged at the heartstrings of judges to win the top prizes of the Third Annual Asian Press Photo Contest recently.

Sadness, compassion, gratitude, perseverance and joy. These are just some of the feelings evoked by the winning pictures on this page.

Truly, a picture speaks a thousand words. The winners distinguished themselves from some 520 photo-journalists from 27 Asian countries who took part in the Third Annual Asian Press Photo Contest to vie for top spots in such categories as spot news, general news, economic, scientific and technical news, portraits, daily life and arts and entertainment news, nature and environmental news. The panel received more than 3,000 entries.

Themed "Changing Asia", the competition, organized by the Asia News Network and China Daily, is dedicated to adding nuances to outsiders' perceptions of contemporary Asia and strengthening understanding, co-operation and dialogue between Asia and the rest of the world. Some of the photos have been published in 21 leading Asian newspapers in 19 countries and regions.

A man waded neck-deep in water filled with debris searching for valuable items after a fire razed some 500 houses along a coastal village in Malabon city, north of Manila on April 7, 2011. The fire, believed to be caused by an exploding gas tank, started before dawn. [Erik de Castro / Reuters]

A man jumped from the top of an overcrowded train to another as thousands of Bangladeshi Muslims headed home after attending an Islamic Congregation in Tongi, Dhaka, on Jan 23, 2011. [Pavel Rahma / Associated Press]