Every year, the World Press Photo organises the largest photo competition in the world. Honouring the best in photographic imagery, the contest awards top prizes and celebrates the achievements in a travelling photo show.
The 2011 World Press Photo Exhibition will open its doors in Amsterdam at the Oude Kerk on 22 April. A collection of hundreds of photographs covering 2010′s current events will adorn the oldest church in the city.
Among the works on display is the haunting image of the Afghan woman, Bibi Aisha. Depicting both the struggles of women in the Middle East region as well as highlighting the strength of their endurance, the photo earned top prize.
“Part of what the World Press Photo contest does is take pictures to a wider audience, an audience that is going to ask why,” said Aidan Sullivan, one of the 19 picture editors, curators and photographers that judged the contest’s thousands of submissions in an interview with Time Out Amsterdam.
“What on earth? What’s going on? What has happened? For me, this was the picture that asked the most important questions.”
South African photographer, Jodi Beiber shot the image as part of a Time magazine spread on Afghan women. she says the picture may be discomforting, but that it highlights the strength of Afghan women.
Beiber’s work is only one of the immensely moving portrayals in the exhibition. Renowned for bringing touching and tragic situations to the forefront, the World Press Photo includes images from general and spot news, features, sports, nature, portraits, contemporary issues, and arts and entertainment.
The organisation also holds personal, guided tours of the exhibition in a number of languages that offer an insider’s perspective on why the photos won and what their lasting impression means for the field.
For those who follow the news – and those less in touch with current events – the World Press Exhibition is a round-up of a year of coverage on the ground, from those who give the headlines a lasting impression.
