The first edition of the Press Photography Contest, which was announced in December 2005, met with a favourable reception in the world of press photography. 650 submitted photo stories, consisting of over 5000 images, which received a great recognition from the panel of judges as well as an enthusiastic response from their viewers, not only exceeded our wildest expectations but also proved that press photography enjoys considerable and still growing popularity in Poland. Encouraged by this remarkable success of the Contest's first edition, we have decided to continue with the initiative of supporting press photography in Poland by starting its second, somewhat modified, edition. This year, all the submitted works will be evaluated and awarded by a jury whose members are famous photographs and photo-editors working for widely-known magazines and main Polish newspapers.
There are four categories of photo stories: - people in the news - arts and culture - contemporary issues - sport single photo category - news of the year
The submission deadline is February 6, 2007.
The total worth of the contest awards is 50.000 PLN
The post-contest exhibition will be held in the Warsaw Traffic Club for three weeks. Then the awarded photographs will also hit the town. Just like a year ago, they will be displayed on billboards in main Warsaw streets, and, what is more, this year they will be also visible on the city buses.
The Press Photography Contest is directed to professional photographers working for photographic agencies, newspapers and magazines' editorial offices as well as freelancers. A panel of professionals will guarantee its high level and standard. The Contest follows the example of World Press Photo and thus has similar foundations, that is the promotion of photojournalism as a way of perceiving and representing people and everyday events as well as documenting the reality around us. The Contest aims at emphasizing the importance of press photography not only in the art of journalism but also in everyday life as such. Apart from that, it also tries to show the meaning of the photojournalistic esthetics and the language it uses.
The Contest presents the condition and level of Polish press photography, whose main representatives are widely recognized and achieve spectacular successes in various international contests. At the same time, it gives the chance to compare how, if at all, Polish and foreigner photographers differ in their perception of the surrounding world. The main assumption of the Contest is to support and popularize the works of professional press photographers, whose courage, sensitivity, devotion and the so-called "sharp eye" deserve the highest respect. It is also an attempt to consolidate the world of photojournalists by proving that, irrespective of competing interests of various agencies and publishing companies, sharing a common, very often inspirational and valuable, idea can and, in fact, do matter.
Participants selected for 2007 Joop Swart Masterclass Twelve young photographers will come together with a group of masters for the 14th annual World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass to be held from 3 to 8 November 2007 in Foam_Fotografiemuseum, Amsterdam.
The 12 participants were selected from a total of 113 international candidate portfolios. During the masterclass meeting, the participant photographers will interact with seven prominent experts, discussing technical, journalistic and ethical aspects of their work.
The following 12 photographers were selected to participate in the 2007 masterclass:
• Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, Iraq • Olivia Arthur, United Kingdom • Christoph Bangert, Germany • Kate Brooks, USA • Alexandra Demenkova, Russia • Agnes Dherbeys, France • Cédric Gerbehaye, Belgium • Rafal Milach, Poland • Munem Wasif, Bangladesh • Sirio Magnabosco, Italy • Irina Werning, Argentina/Germany • Xin Zhou, People's Republic of China
The purpose of the masterclass is furthering young and talented photographers' insight in photojournalism. In preparation for the meeting, the participants will execute a photo essay on one single theme, which for this year is: ‘Fragile'. The essays will be discussed during sessions with the masters and edited into a publication.
The participants were selected by an independent, international selection committee consisting of Carolyn Cole (USA), photographer Los Angeles Times, Frédérique Deschamps (France), picture editor Le Monde, Susan Meiselas (USA), photographer Magnum Photos, Adriaan Monshouwer (the Netherlands), commercial director Hollandse Hoogte and Aidan Sullivan (UK), Vice President Photo Assignment Getty Images North America.
Committee members commenting on the experience: "In the coming years, I look forward to seeing the progress of these promising photographers from around the world." (Carolyn Cole) "An amazing and enriching experience to see so much quality, diversity and passion for photography." (Adriaan Monshouwer) "Knowing how important it is for these extraordinary photographers to be part of this prestigious event, makes our role tough, but so rewarding." (Aidan Sullivan)
The Joop Swart Masterclass is supported by Delta Lloyd Group, Stichting Democratie en Media and Canon, who provides all participants with a grant. World Press Photo receives support from the Dutch Postcode Lottery and is sponsored worldwide by Canon and TNT.
--------------------------- Editors please note: For more information about the Joop Swart Masterclass, please contact Chermain Pubben at press@worldpressphoto.nl or +31 (0)20 676 6096.