The 57th World Press 2014 Photo Contest received 98,671 photographs from over 5,000 photographers, covering over 130 nationalities to compete for nine categories with just 54 positions for recognition. The World Press Photo of the Year goes to John Stanmeyer and the image seen above, Signal. Talk about the competition!
Taken in February 2013, Stanmeyer's photograph depicts African migrants trying to find cellphone service in Djibouti.
“The contest creates a bridge linking the professionals with the general public. As the announcement of the winners makes headlines around the world, so the inspirational role of photojournalism is highlighted to an audience of hundreds of millions.”
Beyond that, the awarded photographs show where photojournalism as a field is headed. Looking back on 2013, photojournalism has covered a considerable amount of violence ranging from the Boston Marathon Bombing to Central African Republic. The majority of the award gallery are glimpses of despair, solitude, and pain.
Al Bello's Forehand Forward“The contest is judged by leading experts in visual journalism who represent various aspects of the profession. The composition of the jury is changed from year to year, they operate independently, and a secretary who has no vote safeguards our fair and balanced judging procedure.”
Not all the categories are news or contemporary issues. There are glimpses of triumph and failure in the sports sections: excellence in Al Bello’s Forehand Forward and precision Jia Guorong’s Competition on Bars. Capturing competitions highlights a sort of universal success for humankind. There is a vast range of emotions found in Observed Portraits and Daily Life categories as well as a particularly awe-inspiring nature shot, Wolves Walking in the Desert, by Shangzen Fan.
But don’t take my word for it. Which category or photograph is your favorite? Go ahead and check out the gallery yourself, found here.
......why is the tennis shot even a third place finisher?