World Press Photo Amsterdam

The 14th of April marks the start of World Press Photo Amsterdam. The winning images from the world’s largest and most prestigious annual press photography contest begin their world tour in Amsterdam. The international press photo contest highlights the finest in worldwide visual journalism. Be amongst the first to witness the powerful images of this traveling exhibition.

Historical connection

Amsterdam and World Press Photo have a long history together. The first exhibition was held here in 1955 when Dutch photographers organized a competition to show their work to their international colleagues. That annual contest has become one of the most prestigious awards in photojournalism, drawing a crowd of four million people worldwide each year. De Nieuwe Kerk (The New Church) was home to the exhibition from 1982 to 1999 and took up this role again in 2014. This year, the festival celebrates its sixtieth World Press Photo of the Year.

Powerful images

The work of 42 photographers from 22 countries is being displayed, alongside the winners of the Digital Storytelling Contest. Together, they make for over 160 powerful images from all over the world. The photos have been selected for eight categories, being Daily Life, General News, Contemporary Issues, Long-Term Projects, Nature, People, Spot News, and Sports. In every category, a first, second and third prize has been awarded to the talented photographers. The works are displayed on large hanging panels in the beautiful gothic church space.

Nominations & winners

World Press Photo introduced a new feature this year. Before choosing the winners, nominations were announced in all the eight categories of the photo competition and the four categories of the Digital Storytelling Contest. This new element made it all the more exciting, especially combined with a special award show that was held on Thursday 12 April. The highest honor of the competition of 2018 has been given to photographer Ronaldo Schemidt. His photo Venezuela Crisis has won the title of World Press Photo of the Year 2018. The photo was taken during a protest against President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela

Digital Storytelling Contest

World Press Photo is more than a photo exhibition. There are moving images to be seen, too. Digital technologies and the internet have changed our view on news stories, and how we store them in our memories. To acknowledge and honor this change, World Press Photo has brought to life the Digital Storytelling Contest. This competition rewards the best forms of visual journalism created by digital means. There are prize winners in four different categories, available to the audience on different types of screens. One of the winners this year is Under a Cracked Sky, part of The Antarctica Series by The New York Times, a series of four virtual reality films about scientists in Antarctica.

Audio tour

As it did last year, World Press Photo has asked photographers and visual journalists to collaborate on the audio tour that accompanies the photos by explaining their work in their own words. These personal stories add an extra layer to the works displayed. They give a behind-the-scenes type of experience to the viewer, which creates an even more powerful moment than the pictures alone. The audio tour is included in the entrance fee. Amsterdam is the first city where you can admire this exhibition of the most impressive visual journalism of the past year. It can be seen in Amsterdam until 22 July. After this date, it will become a traveling expo, visible in 100 cities and 45 countries. Be amongst the first to witness the powerful photos in the city where World Press Photo once started. As an extra bonus, you get to admire the beautiful gothic interior of one of Amsterdam’s most cherished churches.