An American won the top award in the 2014 World Press Photo competition, but a trio of Australian photographers also made an impression.
An image by American photographer John Stanmeyer of the VII Photo Agency has been selected as the World Press Photo of the Year for 2014. The picture shows African migrants on the shore of Djibouti city at night, raising their phones in an attempt to capture an inexpensive signal from neighbouring Somalia as a tenuous link to relatives abroad. Djibouti is a common stop-off point for migrants in transit from such countries as Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea, seeking a better life in Europe and the Middle East. The picture also won first prize in the Contemporary Issues category, and was shot for National Geographic.
Three Australians have received awards in the 57th annual World Press Photo contest – Getty Images photographers Chris McGrath (first prize, General News, Stories); Ezra Shaw (second prize, Sports Action, Stories); and Quinn Rooney (third prize, Sports Action, Stories). As well, a six-image series taken by amateur photographer Tim Holmes in the town of Dunalley, Tasmania, where 90 homes were destroyed by bush fires during a period of record high temperatures received a Special Mention.
The jury gave prizes in nine themed categories to 53 photographers of 25 nationalities from Argentina, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, China, Czech Republic, El Salvador, Finland, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Jordan, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the USA.
The judging was conducted at the World Press Photo office in Amsterdam. All entries were presented anonymously to the jury, who discussed their merits over a two-week period. The jury operates independently and a secretary without voting rights safeguards the fairness of the procedure. The contest drew entries from professional press photographers, photojournalists and documentary photographers across the world. By the mid-January deadline 98,671 images had been submitted by 5,754 photographers from 132 countries.
Following the judging of the contest, the jury decided to give a Special Mention to a six-image series from the town of Dunalley, Tasmania, Australia, where 90 homes were destroyed by bush fires. The series of pictures, taken by Tim Holmes on January 4, show his wife Tammy and their five grandchildren taking refuge in water under a jetty as a fire rages nearby.
The jury said: “None of the entries to the competition addressed the issue of the wildfires with such a sense of proximity. We are used to people these days documenting their own lives, and we are used to journalists documenting calamities that affect others, but here these two intersect — a family is documenting its own calamity, in a way we can easily relate to.”
The jury may consider a visual document for a Special Mention when it has played an essential role in the news reporting of the previous year and could not have been made by a professional photographer.
World Press Photo receives support from the Dutch Postcode Lottery and is sponsored worldwide by Canon. World Press Photo organises the leading international contest in visual journalism. The foundation is committed to supporting and advancing high standards in photojournalism and documentary storytelling worldwide. World Press Photo is an independent, non-profit organisation with its office in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where it was founded in 1955.
The images will be displayed during the World Press Photo exhibition at the State Library of New South Wales from May 24 to June 22. Entry is free of charge.
For an overview of all the winners visit: http://www.worldpressphoto.org/awards/2014
Overall winner of the World Press Photo award, under Contemporary Issues, was this image of migrants on the shore of Djibouti city at night, raising their phones in an attempt to capture an inexpensive signal from neighbouring Somalia. The image was by US photographer John Stanmeyer.
Getty Images photographer Chris McGrath scored first prize in General News, Stories. A homemade casket is seen on the side of the road as curfew approaches. Leyte, Philippines. Typhoon Haiyan ripped through the Philippines on November 9. Described as one of the most powerful typhoons ever to hit land, Haiyan left thousands dead and hundreds of thousands homeless across remote areas of the Philippines.
Ezra Shaw won second prize for his America's Cup sailing images in the Sports Action category, Stories. Oracle Team USA, skippered by James Spithill, hydrofoils while racing against Emirates Team New Zealand, skippered by Dean Barker, during race 19 of the America's Cup Finals on 25 September 2013 in San Francisco, California.
Richard Eliason of Australia competes in the men's 100-metre breaststroke on day four of the World Swimming Championships, April 2013 in Adelaide, Australia. Photo by Quinn Rooney. (Third prize, Sports Action, Stories).