Outstanding photos won the World Press Photo 2015
For the second year in a row, the World Press Photo jury has dedicated its top prize to celebrating contemporary issues.
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Photo of two Russian gay men hugging - won first prize in World Press Photo 2015 |
On Thursday (February 12), photographer Mads Nissen's photo of two gay Russian men hugging won first prize in the 2015 World Press Photo contest, a prestigious photo contest for journalists around the world, held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
In last year's competition, photographer John Stanmeyer's photo of an African migrant trying to grasp a patchy mobile phone signal was honored with the 2014 World Press Photo of the Year.
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Photo of African migrants trying to grasp a patchy mobile phone signal wins World Press Photo of the Year 2014 |
This year’s winner is chaired by Michele McNally, director of photography and editor of The New York Times. She said on Wednesday (February 12) that this year’s winning image is delicate and “very tender.”
Donald Weber, a member of the jury, said the winning image was a landmark, a "watershed moment in the photography industry" and would attract global attention.
The judges said they had a hard time selecting quality photos. Many of the semi-finalists were disqualified because they were too edited.
Mr. Nissen, who won this prestigious award, said he always "respected the work of a photojournalist". At the same time, he added: "Photography is not only a world view, it is also an inquiry into oneself".
The story of his winning photo not only depicts the perspective of a "brave young gay activist" who fought against social stigma, but ultimately it depicts love between two people.
In addition to the first prize-winning photo of the 2014 World Press Photo, many other photos were honored in different categories.
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A photo of a girl injured during clashes between riot police and protesters in Türkiye by AFP news agency's Bulent Kılıç won first prize in the single news photo category. |
Mr Kulic also won third prize in the same category, with an image of an airstrike targeting Islamic State militants near the border of Türkiye and Syria.
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A photo of a man holding a dead child after Israel bombed a beach in the Gaza Strip in July 2014, by Tyler Hicks, of The New York Times, won second prize in the category "Single News Photos" |
Magnum Photos’ Jérôme Sessini won both first and second prizes in the news story category, with two photo essays from Ukraine. First prize went to his coverage of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 disaster in July 2014, while second prize went to his coverage of the protests in Kiev’s Independence Square.
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Second prize winning photo essay in the "News Stories" category depicts images of protests at Kiev's Independence Square |
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Photographer Pete Muller won first prize in the "General News Stories" category with his image of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. |
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Photographer Glenna Gordon won second prize in the general news story category with this image of school uniforms found after Nigerian schoolgirls were kidnapped by Boko Haram. |
Third prize went to photographer Sergey Ponomarev, with his photo of the Gaza conflict.
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Young girl Laurinda waiting for a bus in Australia. She lives in an area of poverty, violence and discrimination. Photo by Raphaeela, winner of the "Single Portrait" category |
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Wei, a 19-year-old Chinese worker, stands next to Christmas decorations. He wears six masks a day and a cap to protect his hair from the chemicals used at the factory. The photo was taken by Ronghui Chen and won second prize in the Contemporary Issues Singles category. |
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The photo of a man wearing his nephew's hat, by Sarker Protick, from Bangladesh, won second prize in the daily life story category. |
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A kitchen in Donetsk, Ukraine, an area of intense fighting between the Kiev government and separatists. Photo by Sergei Ilnitsky, Russia, for European Pressphoto, won first prize in the "General News Single" category. |
According to Infonet