Winning images for the Portrait of Humanity show there is more that unites us than divides us

The accolade is an evolution of last year's Portrait of Britain, which hoped to capture the spirit of a nation. This year, Portrait of Humanity shows how our differences unite us on a global scale with the winning portraits showing that there is more that brings us together than sets us apart.

Amongst the winners is Sandra Zarneshan, who captured the attention of the judging panel with her image Next to Me, a moving portrait of her husband Fabrizio and our six-week-old son, Filippo. Samuel Zuder's Face to Faith portrait is another highlight, showing two friends – pilgrims – dressed almost identically who had travelled thousands of miles to worship at the holy mountain. Other winning portraits include Alice Zoo's Tara by the Window; Charlie Kawi's Captain America; Fabian Muir's The Hands that Rock the Cradle and Michal Solarski's Zlata.

Each of the 50 winning portraits will be exhibited at celebrated galleries, museums and photography festivals across the world. They will embark on a global tour from September, starting at the Organ Vida International Photography Festival in Croatia and finishing at the Louisiana State Museum as part of PhotoNOLA Festival in New Orleans.

The 200 shortlisted portraits will be featured in the Portrait of Humanity book, published by Hoxton Mini Press and distributed worldwide. The Portrait of Humanity book is available for pre-order here.