Rangefinder Magazine
December 2006

World Press Photo Contest by Editorial Staff
Canadian Photographer Finbarr O’Reilly Wins Premier Award

World Press Photo of the Year 2005, Finbarr O’Reilly, Canada, Reuters. Mother and child at emergency feeding center, Tahoua, Niger.

This year, 4448 professional photographers from 122 countries entered 83,044 images in the prestigious World Press Photo contest, an annual international competition in press photography. The World Press Photo contest provides an overview of how press photographers tackle their work by bringing together pictures from all parts of the globe, reflecting trends and developments in photojournalism, and revealing how the press gives us the news.

1st prize Arts and Entertainment, Stories, Åsa Sjöström, Sweden. Ballet school, Moldova.	2nd prize Sports Action, Singles, Sydney Seshibedi, South Africa, Sunday Times. Sidney Maluleka fights with Sello Hanong, Johannesburg.

Not just photographers, but photo agencies, newspapers and magazines from around the globe are invited to submit their best news-related pictures of the previous year. There is no entrance fee, making the contest truly open to all professional press photographers. This year’s judging sessions took place in Amsterdam from January 28 to February 9 and were completely digital.

1st prize Contemporary Issues, Stories, Olivier Jobard, France, Sipa Press for Paris Match. Journey of an immigrant.	1st prize Contemporary Issues, Singles, Yannis Kontos, Greece, Polaris Images. Boy helps his father to dress, Sierra Leone.

The contest jury comprises 13 picture editors, photographers and representatives of press agencies from different parts of the world, and with widely divergent backgrounds. This brings to the process a breadth of experience, a variety of perception, and a contrast in viewpoint that keeps judging dynamic and bolsters objectivity. The jury acts independently of World Press Photo, and the organization has no influence on its decisions.

2nd prize Nature, Singles, Pål Hermansen, Norway, for Orion Forlag/Getty. Polar bear, Svalbard.	1st prize Sports Features, Stories, Mark & Jenny Evans, Australia. Horse racing, Australia.

First, second and third prizes are awarded in 10 categories—for picture stories as well as single images—to encourage the submission of across-the-board as well as in-depth news photography. This year’s award winners represent a truly international group of 63 photographers of 25 nationalities.

2nd prize General News, Singles, Andrew Testa, United Kingdom, Panos Pictures for The New York Times. Burial of Srebrenica massacre victims, Potocari, Bosnia.	3rd prize People in the News, Singles, Jakob Dall, Denmark, for Danish Red Cross. Woman praying for her son killed in Kashmir earthquake, Balakot, Pakistan.

The main overall prize, the World Press Photo of the Year, is awarded for the single photograph that is not only the photojournalistic encapsulation the year, but represents an issue, situation or event of great journalistic importance, and does so in a way that demonstrates an outstanding level of visual perception and creativity.

1st prize Sports Action, Stories, Donald Miralle, Jr., USA, Getty Images. Sports portfolio: Aaron Peirsol during the Santa Clara Grand Prix.	3rd prize Spot News, Stories, Michael Appleton, USA, New York Daily News. Hurricane Katrina aftermath, New Orleans.

The jury selected a color image by Canadian photographer Finbarr O’Reilly of Reuters as World Press Photo of the Year. The picture shows the emaciated fingers of a one-year-old child pressed against the lips of his mother at an emergency feeding clinic in Niger. A devastating swarm of comlocusts and the worst drought in decades left millions of people short of food in the African state. The picture was taken in Tahoua, northwestern Niger.

1st prize Sports Features, Singles Henry Agudelo, Colombia, El Colombiano. Bullfighter, Medellín.	1st prize Portraits, Singles, Pieter Hugo, South Africa, Corbis. Mallam Gahadima Ahamadu with the hyena Jamis, Abuja, Nigeria.

World Press Photo jury chairman James Colton described the winning image: “This picture has haunted me ever since I first saw it. It has stayed in my head, even after seeing all the thousands of others during the competition. This image has everything—beauty, horror and despair. It is simple, elegant and moving.”

2nd prize Arts and Entertainment, Singles, Xin Zhou, People’s Republic of China, Guangzhou Daily. Tsunami victims commemoration ceremony, Thailand.	3rd prize Spot News, Singles, Edmond Terakopian, United Kingdom, Press Association. London underground bomb attack survivor.

World Press Photo, founded in 1955, aims to support professional press photography on a wide international scale. Promotional activities include an annual contest, exhibitions, the stimulation of photojournalism through educational programs, and a greater visibility for press photography through a variety of publications. World Press Photo receives support from the Dutch Postcode Lottery and is sponsored worldwide by Canon and TNT. Additional funding is derived from project sponsorship and subsidies. The mix in sources of financing helps guarantee the organization’s independence.

1st prize General News, Stories, Uriel Sinai, Israel, for Getty Images. Evacuation of Jewish settlements.	2nd prize Portraits, Stories, Martin Roemers, the Netherlands, Hollandse Hoogte/Laif Photos & Reportagen. World War II veterans.

For more information, visit www.world pressphoto.nl.

1st prize Daily Life, Stories, Jacob Aue Sobol, Denmark. Indigenous family, Guatemala.	1st prize Nature, Stories, Kieran Dodds, United Kingdom, The Herald/Evening Times. Fruit bats, Kasanka National Park, Zambia.

2nd prize Daily Life, Singles, Marcus Bleasdale, Ireland, for Human Rights Watch. Street children, Kinshasa, DR Congo.