Photography News | Issue 33 | absolutephoto.com
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Competition
World Press Photo 16 book World Press PhotoContest Photojournalists across the globe submit images to the annual World Press Photo Contest. Communications manager David Campbell tells us more What is your role within the World Press Photo Contest?
The winning selection provides an insight into the major stories of the year and the best ways to visualise them
work to international colleagues. That annual contest has since grown into one of the most prestigious awards in photojournalism and multimedia storytelling, and the exhibition it produces is seen by four million people worldwide each year. The contest rewards photographers for the best single exposure pictures contributing to the past year of visual journalism. What do you think makes the World Press Photo Contest stand out from other competitions? It has a 60-year heritage, which means you can chart much of the
history of photojournalism through the winners, many of which are regarded as iconic images. It is judged by leading professionals in the industry, and as a result the winning selection provides an insight into the major stories of the year and the best ways to visualise them. This year 82,951 photos made by 5775 photographers from 128 different countries were entered, so the contest is large, diverse and global. What categories were included and what was needed to enter? There are were categories, seven of which have both single and story
entries: Spot News, General News, Contemporary Issues, Daily Life, Sports, Nature andPeople. Then there are Long-Term Projects, showcasing work done over the last three years. Only professional photographers can enter, and all entries are submitted digitally and online. Are certain categories more popular than others? What category was the winning image entered into? The Photo of the Year was submitted to Spot News. It is not a requirement, but the photo of the year generally comes from the news and
As communications manager I work with a team to make the results of the contest known to the media and the general audience. In previous years, before joining the staff of the World Press Photo Foundation, I was secretary to the jury, so observed the weeks of judging close up, though I did not vote on the entries. Can you give us some background behind the contest? The contest began in 1955 when a group of Dutch photographers organised a contest to expose their
Above Tim Laman, USA, for National Geographic , Tough Times for Orangutans .
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