An exhibition of the prize-winning pictures from the 2013 World Press Photo contest will once again come to Macau, organised by the House of Portugal (Casa de Portugal) and held at Casa Garden from October 12 to November 3.
The international jury of the 56th annual World Press Photo Contest gave prizes in nine themed categories to 54 photographers of 33 nationalities.
The award for 'World Press Photo of the Year 2012' was given to Paul Hansen of the Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter. His picture shows a group of men carrying the bodies of two dead children through a street in Gaza City. They are being taken to a mosque for the burial ceremony while their father’s body is carried behind on a stretcher. Two-year-old Suhaib Hijazi and his older brother Muhammad were killed when their house was destroyed by an Israeli missile strike. Their mother was put in intensive care. The picture was made on 20 November 2012 in Gaza City, Palestinian Territories.
Mayu Mohanna, jury member from Peru, said of Paul Hansen’s winning picture:
“The strength of the pictures lies in the way it contrasts the anger and sorrow of the adults with the innocence of the children. It’s a picture I will not forget.”
World Press Photo organises the leading international contest in visual journalism. The foundation is committed to supporting and advancing high standards in photojournalism and documentary storytelling worldwide. Its aim is to generate wide public interest in and appreciation for the work of photographers and other visual journalists, and for the free exchange of information. World Press Photo is an independent non-profit organization with its office in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where it was founded in 1955.
All entries were anonymously presented to the jury, who discussed their merits over a two-week period. The jury operates independently and a secretary without voting rights safeguards the fairness of the procedure. The contest drew entries from professional press photographers, photojournalists and documentary photographers across the world. By the mid-January deadline, 103,481 images had been submitted by 5,666 photographers from 124 countries.
The jury awarded first, second and third prizes in all categories. First-prize winners in each category receive a cash prize of €1,500. The premier award, the World Press Photo of the Year, carries a cash prize of €10,000.
