“When the Water Ends: Africa’s Climate Conflicts,” by Evan Abramson for Yale Environment 360. Tribes pushed toward famine and armed conflict by the shifting shoreline of Lake Turkana on the Ethiopia-Kenya border tell their stories plainly but movingly. Water scarcity gives rise to violence, illustrating the vulnerability of people who already live at the mercy of climate change.

“Burning Desperation,” by Lynsey Addario of The New York Times. Before she was kidnapped in Libya, Addario created this disturbing, haunting portrait of Afghan women who set themselves on fire.

“Saying goodbye with my camera,” by Briony Campbell for The Guardian. A father and daughter approach his impending death from cancer through an extended meditation on reasons to fight the disease, the temptation to surrender to it, and how much of his thinking centers on those he’ll leave behind.

“Above the Law,” by Clifford Levy and Ellen Barry for The New York Times. A series of videos and articles looks at corruption in Russia two decades after the fall of the Soviet Union. From a human rights activist on trial for speaking out after a murder to strategic arrests and intimidation, it offers a dispiriting look at Russia today.

“Deadly Threats: Successors to the Paramilitaries in Colombia,” by Stephen Ferry (and Getty Images Grants for Good) from Human Rights Watch. Slide shows depict a military conflict in Colombia that continues despite the announced demobilization of paramilitary groups years ago.

We previously featured three of this year’s nominees on Storyboard. Read our Q&A with the creators of “Welcome to Pine Point,” which looks at memory and identity in a town that was wiped off the map. Hear from the makers of “Brèves de Trottoirs,” multimedia portraits from the streets of Paris. And see what Marie-Claude Dupont of Canada’s National Film Board has to say about “GDP,” a yearlong project documenting the Canadian economic recovery one person at a time.

While big names like Martha Stewart, Twitter’s Biz Stone and Arianna Huffington get to decide who will take home the official prizes in these categories, you, too, can make your voice heard by voting in the Webby People’s Voice Awards. (Voting closes April 28.)

Image detail from footage by Evan Abramson in the Yale Environmental 360 project “When the Water Ends.”

“Swansea Love Story” from Leo Leigh and Andy Capper for VBS.tv (Vice Media), an episode of their “Rule Britannia” series. The filmmakers stick close to a group of young heroin users to explore epidemic drug abuse in South Wales, but they also delve into Swansea history and its shattered economy. Some scenes are hard to sit through because of their terrifying intimacy, while others may remind viewers that Vice Media is behind the movie. But the characters’ unexpected humor and frankness – and smart editing – make the story simply unforgettable. The link above is to the full episode, but you can also watch the trailer.

“Narcocorridos: Singing Songs of Drug Violence,” from Shaul Schwarz (edited by Brian Chang) on Time’s website. A look at the American cinematic and musical trend of transforming horrific Mexican drug violence into the stuff of ballads and folklore. In one scene, a drug lord custom-orders songs from a performer, who delivers.

“Homegirl Cafe” by Lucy Nicholson for Reuters. The daughter of gangbanging parents leaves jail and hopes to turn straight, waiting tables while she learns to box on the side.

“Five Days in the Favela” from The Guardian, part of a series looking at the slum communities in Rio. In this video “Pastor Nininho,” a DJ and evangelical leader, connects with his community in church and on public radio.

“Losing His Way,” by Peter Power and Erin Anderssen, part of a series on dementia from The Globe and Mail. This slide show is beautifully done, but it’s Mario Gregorio’s searing audio about living his life while he’s losing his mind that makes this story worth a look.

Two efforts we’ve noted before on the site also make an appearance in these categories and deserve a second mention: “Highrise: Out My Window,” a multicity, multiyear project from the National Film Board of Canada, records “the human experience in global vertical suburbs”; while “Take Care” from MediaStorm follows a teen mother who works to become a nurse as she cares for her dying grandfather.