PICS: YPNPICS: YPN
PICS: YPN

In pictures: The best pics from the '50 happiest photos of the year' contest

A series of heart-warming images capturing moments of joy around the world have been unveiled as part of a contest to find 'the 50 happiest photos of the year.'

Main picture: 'Happiness in Friendship' by @rafayat

The entries for #Happiness2020 show everything from touching family moments, to friends young and old sharing a giggle, and even animals enjoying themselves.

One moving photograph, captured in Hoi An, Vietnam, shows a 95-year-old couple known as "the happiest couple in the village", with the wife kissing her husband's cheek as he beams a toothless grin.

Another, captured by @meloyphotography in the Philippines, shows a gay teenage boy with a full face of make-up and decorative face paint, wearing a colourful woman's turban.

The story behind the photo, as told by the photographer, says: "This 13 year old gay boy was being bullied for being black and gay.

"But despite of all the humiliation he still stands for his rights and fight for what he believes in.

"No matter how hard life is no matter how the world treats you, we should be able to be happy. Because happiness comes from within."

Elsewhere in the entries include a baby elephant at Cologne Zoo in Germany which can be seen splashing itself with water.

The photographer, @a.rosenthal, said she watched the elephant play in the water, and then roll around in the sand, for almost two hours.

The #Happiness2020 competition, launched by free-to-use photography app Agora, received more than 16,750 entries from professional and amateur photographers around the world.

And the top 50 photos showcase talent from 19 different countries across five continents - from Myanmar, Nepal, and Egypt, to Australia, UK, France and Spain.

In a short video compilation of the 50 finalists, Agora states: "#Happiness2020 is not what do you have, but who you have around you."

Agora users can now vote for their favourite of the 50 finalists in the app, and help the guest judge decide who will be the #Happiness2020 hero - to be revealed on January 2.

The winner will win a jackpot of Agora 'Credits', which allow users to participate in Agora contests with more than one photo.Agora is a free-to-use photography social platform with a community of over 3.5 million users from 193 countries - almost every country in the world.

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