The Shorty Award for Real-Time Photo of the Year

The ubiquity of cameraphones combined with social media's real-time communication has changed the nature of photography. When something happens in one part of the world, it can now be seen everywhere almost instantly as long as someone with a cameraphone and social media account is nearby.

The Shorty Award for the Real-Time Photo of the Year recognizes an impactful, historically significant image from 2011. To be eligible for a nomination, all photos must have been taken in 2011, shot on a mobile phone, and uploaded to a social media site such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Flickr, Twitpic, Yfrog, or Tweetphoto.