What you need to know:
The most important photography and photojournalism contest in the world reveals the details of our reality in 2024.
2023 was not an easy year. New armed conflicts appeared, there were a good number of displaced people and we lived in moments that reaffirm the power of empathy. Among so much information we must let photography tell us the hidden side of reality. Only for that, the winning photos of the World Press Photo 2024 are worth a look.
We talk about a masterful collection of images that bring together the best of photojournalism and photography of the planet. Postcards that pause the moments and show us the essence of the most universal and deep emotions: the pain of a mother who lost her son, the fateful ravages of war and the vulnerability that nature generates in us.
This year the winners, more than photographers with great technical ability, are true storytellers. Artists without nationality and without prejudices who, from a camera, have managed to stop time to turn a second into a narrative about love, loss and family and all the butterflies that cross the sky with their fragile wings.
What is World Press Photo?
Is about a competition that was founded in 1955 in Amsterdam with the aim of encouraging photojournalism as a discipline capable of transforming our perception of reality and showing us the most intimate side of stories.
In February, this independent organization brings together a jury made up of prestigious artists with extensive aesthetic knowledge who deliberate among hundreds and hundreds of images taken by photographers from almost every country on the planet, from Madagascar to Tuvalu.
In this regard, the Executive Director of the World Press Photo Foundation, Joumana El Zein, said:
“Every year, juries around the world review tens of thousands of photographs to find a selection that is visually impressivetell stories that matter and represent the world we share.”
About World Press Photo 2024
This year the jury received more than 60 thousand photos from 130 countries. The themes on which the works focused were as simple as they were complex: the ravages of climate change, the war in Asia and Europe and the immeasurable power of family units in different cultures.
24 photographers were awarded and six honorable mentions were awarded. In addition to receiving an international recognition, The winning postcards will travel to at least sixty different countries thanks to an annual exhibition organized by World Press Photo, which in our country is presented at the Franz Mayer Museum in Mexico City.
Regarding the award-winning photographs in 2024, a member of the jury commented:
“The winning projects are a tapestry of our current world that focus on images that we believe have been taken with respect and integrity.”
The winning photograph of 2024
The armed conflict between Israel and Palestine has left a disturbing compilation of images that show the true face of the tragedy and barbarism. So far the invasion of Gaza has claimed at least 30 thousand victims.
Proof of the pain experienced in the Middle East is the photograph taken by Mohamed Salem. In the piece we can see a woman hugging the body of her five-year-old nephew. The heartbreaking contrast of colors and the two static silhouettes tell us the personal drama of the conflict.
5 photographs to believe in humanity
Behind every war, behind all those moments worthy of Dante’s hell, there is hope. Only for that, We have selected five images that show us the immeasurable power of lovewill and resistance.
