World Press Photo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| World Press Photo | |
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| Founded | 1955, Amsterdam, The Netherlands |
|---|---|
| Origins | The Netherlands |
| Key people | His Royal Highness Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands (Patron), Pieter Broertjes, editor-in-chief de Volkskrant |
| Area served | Global |
| Focus | Photojournalism |
| Method | Nonviolence, Funding, Contest, Education |
| Website | www.worldpressphoto.com |
World Press Photo is an independent, non-profit organization based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Founded in 1955 the organizing is known for holding the world's largest and most prestigious annual press photography contest.
The awards ceremony is held in the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam. After the contest, the prizewinning photographs are assembled into a traveling exhibition that is visited by over a million people in 40 countries. A yearbook presenting all prizewinning entries is published annually in six languages.
In addition to selecting the World Press Photo of the Year, the contest determines winners in the following categories:
- Spot News
- General News
- People in the News
- Sports Action
- Sports Features
- Contemporary Issues
- Daily Life
- Portraits
- Arts and Entertainment
- Nature.
Another primary objective of the organization is to support professional press photography on a wide international scale, to stimulate developments in photojournalism, encourage the transfer of knowledge, help develop high professional standards in photojournalism and promote a free and unrestricted exchange of information. It organizes a number of educational projects throughout the world: seminars, workshops and the annual Joop Swart Masterclass.
[edit] World Press Photo Contest
In 2007, a total of 4,460 professional photographers from 124 countries entered 78,083 images in the competition.
[edit] Recent Winners
Spencer Platt of Getty Images won the World Press Photo of the Year in 2006. His pictured showed a group of young Lebanese driving through a South Beirut neighborhood devastated by Israeli bombings. The picture was taken on 15 August 2006, the first day of the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah when thousands of Lebanese started returning to their homes.
In 2008, the award was won by British photographer Tim Hetherington.
