“Fighting, Not Sinking” © Eddie Jim, The Age/Sydney Morning Herald. Southeast Asia and Oceania, Singles.
“The 500-strong community on Kioa Island has grown from a settlement of people who sought refuge in the 1940s from rising sea levels on Tuvalu, an island to the north. Now, their fishing and farming economy is threatened again, as increasingly eroding shorelines mean that they and more than 600 communities around Fiji could be forced to relocate in the coming years. Lotomau Fiafia (72), a community elder, stands with his grandson John at the point where he remembers the shoreline used to be when he was a boy. Salia Bay, Kioa Island, Fiji, 8 August 2023”
The World Press Photo Contest has announced the 2024 regional winners in a showcase of global photojournalism. In spotlighting these photographers, they invite the public to step outside of the news cycle and examine prominent and overlooked stories from around the world.
The awarded photographs were selected from 61,062 entries by 3,851 photographers from 130 countries. They were judged first by six regional juries, and then a global jury chose the winners. In a few weeks, four global winners—selected from the regional winners—will be announced.
Several prominent themes stand out among the winners, who were rewarded for single images, long-term projects, and photographic stories. The Israel-Hamas War was so present in the entries that the jury decided to designate two special awards to photographers covering the tragedy. Mustafa Hassouna and Leon Neal were singled out for their images detailing the aftermath of air strikes and attacks. Asia singles winner Mohammed Salem’s image of a woman cradling her niece’s body after a missile struck their home puts a human face on the events.
“Each year, jurors from all over the globe review tens of thousands of photos to find a selection that is visually stunning, tells stories that matter, and represents our shared world,” shared executive director of World Press Photo Joumana El Zein Khoury. “This year’s selection includes stories of desperation, hunger, war, and loss—but also of perseverance, courage, love, family, dreams, and more butterflies than anyone has a right to expect.”
Stories of family, the environment, and the struggle for personal rights are woven throughout the winners. Looking at this global selection, it’s clear that many of us struggle with the same issues. In this way, the regional winners are an incredible showcase to bring us together.
Scroll down to see more photographic excellence from around the world.
The World Press Photo Contest has announced the 2024 regional winners.
“Israeli Airstrikes in Gaza” © Mustafa Hassouna, Anadolu Images. Jury Special Mention.
“A resident of al-Zahra walks through the rubble of homes destroyed in Israeli airstrikes. The strikes hit around 25 apartment blocks in the university and residential neighborhood. At the time of writing (4 March 2024), Israel’s attacks on the occupied Palestinian territories during the Israel-Hamas war had killed some 30,000 people and injured more than 70,000. Gaza City, Gaza, 19 October 2023.”
“The Aftermath of the Supernova Festival Attack” © Leon Neal, Getty Images. Jury Special Mention.
“An Israeli security forces officer searches the site of the Supernova music festival for personal effects of victims of the 7 October Hamas attack, which resulted in around 1,200 deaths, more than 2,500 reported injuries, and some 250 people held hostage from the festival and communities near the Gaza border. Re’im, Israel, 12 October 2023”
“Returning Home from War” © Vincent Haiges, Real 21. Africa, Singles.
“Violent internal conflict between government forces and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) gripped northern Ethiopia from 2020 until a ceasefire in November 2022. Kibrom Berhane (24) joined the Tigray Defense Forces (the armed wing of the TPLF) in early 2021 after government forces attacked his village in eastern Tigray. Kibrom Berhane greets his mother for the first time since he joined the Tigray Defense Forces two years earlier. Saesie Tsada, Ethiopia, 21 September 2023.”
“Saving the Monarchs” © Jaime Rojo, for National Geographic. North and Central America, Stories.
“People across Canada, the US, and Mexico are banding together to reverse the more than 80% decline that has affected the eastern migratory monarch butterfly population since the mid-1990s. Reasons for the depopulation include loss of breeding habitat, the disappearance of milkweed (the caterpillar’s sole diet) due to expanding industrial agriculture along their long migratory route, and, recently, climate change. This beautiful yet powerful story – a symbol of unity in polarized times – offers a solutions-oriented perspective on environmental change and conservation.”
“Red Skies, Green Waters” © Adriana Loureiro Fernandez, for The New York Times. South America, Stories.
“Around the turn of this century, oil-rich Venezuela was prosperous, but its fortunes declined following plummeting oil prices, economic mismanagement, sanctions, and political instability. Oil spills from obsolete infrastructure and methane produced by the refining process ravage the environment. Neighbors play Animal Lotto under a sky lit by one of the world’s largest gas flares. Punta de Mata, Venezuela, 5 November 2022.”
“Battle for Sovereignty” © Michael Varcas, for The Philippine Star. Southeast Asia and Oceania, Stories.
“China reinforces its expansive claims in the South China Sea with island-building and naval patrols, raising concerns that the region is becoming a flashpoint, with potentially serious global consequences. Over a third of the global shipping industry transits through these waters, and half of the world’s fishing vessels operate here. Filipino fishermen dock their boats beside a government supply ship distributing oil and food. 20 September 2023.”
“Kakhovka Dam: Flood in a War Zone” © Johanna Maria Fritz, Ostkreuz, for Die Zeit. Europe, Stories.
“An overview of a flooded area of Kherson, taken from a tower block. At the time, Ukrainian authorities estimated that more than 40,000 people would need to be evacuated. Kherson, Ukraine, 7 June 2023.”
The awarded photographs were selected from 61,062 entries by 3,851 photographers from 130 countries.
“The Two Walls” © Alejandro Cegarra, The New York Times/Bloomberg. North and Central America, Long-Term Projects.
“A migrant walks atop a freight train known as “The Beast.” Migrants and asylum seekers lacking the financial resources to pay a smuggler often resort to using cargo trains to reach the United States border. This mode of transportation is very dangerous; over the years, hundreds have fallen onto the tracks and have been killed or maimed. Piedras Negras, Mexico, 8 October 2023.”
“The Escape” © Zied Ben Romdhane, Magnum Photos, Arab Fund for Arts and Culture, AIM LAB. Africa, Long-Term Projects.
“Tunisia’s 2011 revolution, which catalyzed the “Arab Spring,” instilled hope in Tunisians aspiring to democracy, social justice, and freedom of expression. However, the subsequent decade witnessed political instability, persistent economic crises, and social inequality, impacting young people especially. High school students celebrate the end of the school year at Sidi Bou Said Beach. Easily accessible by train, the beach is a meeting place for young people from different social classes. Tunis, Tunisia, 14 April 2023”
“Mapuche: The Return of the Ancient Voices” © Pablo E. Piovano, Greenpeace Award, GEO, National Geographic Society. South America, Long-Term Projects.
“Mapuche communities are the Indigenous inhabitants of territories that are now part of Argentina and Chile. Much of their ancestral land is being commercially exploited – for mining, forestry, and hydroelectric projects in Chile, and fracking in Argentina. Mapuche of all regions arrive at the funeral of Camilo Catrillanca, a prominent Mapuche weichafe (community leader and defender of territorial rights), who was shot from behind by Chilean officers. Ercilla, Araucanía, Chile, 17 November 2018.”
“I Am Still With You” © Wang Naigong. Asia, Long-Term Projects.
“This project is a private visual record that aims to explore the concept of family photos. In close collaboration with the family, the photographer tells the story of Jiuer, a young mother of three in northern China who gains more understanding and appreciation for life in her final years after being diagnosed with cancer. After surgery and radiotherapy treatment, Jiuer recovers well, and the family feels optimistic about the future. Jiuer says: “Life is not long. Do what you want to do, and choose what you love.” Liaoning, China, 28 November 2020. “
“Battle for Sovereignty” © Michael Varcas, for The Philippine Star. Southeast Asia and Oceania, Stories.
“China reinforces its expansive claims in the South China Sea with island-building and naval patrols, raising concerns that the region is becoming a flashpoint, with potentially serious global consequences. Over a third of the global shipping industry transits through these waters, and half of the world’s fishing vessels operate here.Filipino fishermen dock their boats beside a government supply ship distributing oil and food. 20 September 2023.”
“Valim-babena” © Lee-Ann Olwage, for GEO. Africa, Stories.
“In Madagascar, lack of public awareness surrounding dementia means that people displaying symptoms of memory loss are often stigmatized. For years, Paul Rakotozandriny, “Dada Paul” (91), who lives with dementia, has been cared for by his daughter Fara Rafaraniriana (41). Dada Paul and his granddaughter Odliatemix get ready for church. He has lived with dementia for 11 years. For much of that time, his family assumed he had “gone mad” or attributed the symptoms to alcohol consumption. Only his daughter Fara noticed something different and continued caring for him. Antananarivo, Madagascar, 12 March 2023”
“Survivors”© Arlette Bashizi, for The Washington Post. Africa, Honorable Mention.
“The 2020 conflict in the Tigray region of Ethiopia lasted two years, leading to approximately 600,000 deaths with millions more facing extreme famine. Although exact figures are difficult to confirm, a comprehensive study estimates that more than 100,000 women may have been victims of sexual violence over the course of the war. Due to societal prejudice and stigmatization surrounding rape and sexual assault, many of these women struggle in isolation, rejected by their families and communities. Shila (32), a mother of three, ran a hairdressing salon before Eritrean soldiers invaded her town and repeatedly raped her for three months. As a consequence, Shila became pregnant and gave birth to a boy, but her other children do not know that her mother was assaulted. Shila is uncertain if she will ever be strong enough to tell them the truth. Mekele, Tigray region, Ethiopia, 2 November 2023”
On April 18, four global winners—selected from the regional winners—will be announced.
“Adrift” © Felipe Dana and Renata Brito, Associated Press. Africa, Open Format.
“In May 2021, a boat from Mauritania full of dead men was found off the coast of the Caribbean Island of Tobago. Who were these men, and why were they on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean? Two visual journalists sought answers, uncovering a story about migrants from West Africa who seek opportunity in Europe via an increasingly popular but treacherous Atlantic route.”
“Afghanistan on the Edge” © Ebrahim Noroozi, Associated Press. Asia, Stories.
“An Afghan woman rests in the desert, near a camp housing people recently deported from Pakistan, close to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Torkham, Afghanistan, 17 November 2023”
“A Palestinian Woman Embraces the Body of Her Niece” © Mohammed Salem, Reuters. Asia, Singles.
“Inas Abu Maamar (36) cradles the body of her niece Saly (5), who was killed, along with four other family members, when an Israeli missile struck their home. Khan Younis, Gaza, 17 October 2023”
“No Man’s Land” © Daniel Chatard. Europe, Long-Term Projects.
“RWE demolishes the Immerath parish church, as the village is destroyed to make way for expansion of the Garzweiler open-pit mine. The company offered to re-accommodate residents in a new village 8 km away. Immerath, Germany, 8 January 2018”
“A Father’s Pain” © Adem Altan, Agence France-Presse. Europe, Singles.
“Mesut Hançer holds the hand of his 15-year-old daughter Irmak, killed while asleep when her grandmother’s home collapsed during an earthquake in southern Turkey. Kahramanmaraş, Turkey, 7 February 2023.”
“War Is Personal” © Julia Kochetova. Europe, Open Format.
“Amidst tens of thousands of civilian and military casualties and an effective stalemate that has lasted for months, there are no signs of peace on the horizon for Russia’s war in Ukraine. While news media updates its audience with statistics and maps, and international attention drifts elsewhere, the photographer has created a personal website that brings together photojournalism with the personal documentary style of a diary to show the world what it is like to live with war as an everyday reality.”
“A Day in the Life of a Quebec Fire Crew” © Charles-Frédérick Ouellet, for The Globe and Mail, CALQ. North and Central America, Singles.
“Fueled by high temperatures and dry conditions, gigantic summer forest fires swept across Canada in 2023, affecting all 13 provinces and territories, especially northern parts of Quebec. The record-breaking fire season began early and ended late, burning nearly three times more land than usual. Theo Dagnaud scans the horizon to ensure that firefighter patrols have left, and he can mark the area as “controlled”. Quebec, Canada, 13 July 2023.”
“Drought in the Amazon” © Lalo de Almeida, for Folha de São Paulo. South America, Singles.
“A fisherman walks across the dry bed of a branch of the Amazon River, near the Porto Praia Indigenous community. Tefé, Amazonas, Brazil, 13 October 2023.”
“Silenced Crimes” © Marco Garro, Pulitzer Center. South America, Open Format.
“This painstakingly researched web report collects the untold stories of the persecution of LGBTQI+ people in the Peruvian Amazon. From 1980 to 2000, leftist revolutionary insurgency groups like the Shining Path and the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) terrorized, tortured, and murdered members of the LGBTQI+ community in the Loreto, Ucayali, and San Martin regions. Although a 2003 report by the Peruvian government’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission takes note of the systematic violence caused by these political groups, there is no acknowledgment of the injuries and human rights abuses suffered by the LGBTQI+ community.”