They were announced winners of the 66th edition of World Press Photo, competition photojournalism among the largest and most prestigious in the world. There are four Awarded categories: Photo of the Year for best single photo, won by Mohammed Salem for the photo entitled A Palestinian Woman Embraces the Body of Her Niece; Photo Story of the Year for best story, won by Lee-Ann Olwage with the photo series Valim-babena; Photo Long-Term Project Award, which rewards the best long-term project, won by Alejandro Cegarra with The Two Walls and Photo Open Format Award, for the best photo in Open Format, won by Julia Kochetova for War Is Personal.
The photo of the year represents one Palestinian woman as he hugs his niece’s lifeless body. As explained on the website of the organization that manages the prize, the photographer described the photo, taken a few days after his wife gave birth, as a “powerful and sad moment that summarizes the broader sense of what was happening in the Gaza Strip”. Photographer Mohammed Salem works for Reuters, a British news agency. He took a portrait of her with his camera Inas Abu Maamara 36-year-old woman, cradling the body of her five-year-old granddaughter Sally who was killed, along with her mother and sister by an Israeli missile that hit their home in Khan Younis. Mohammed Salem had already been awarded for the same topic more than ten years ago.
Valim-babena is a Malagasy expression that describes the principle that children should help their parents. Valim-babena is seen as an expression of love, the repayment of a moral debt for the care that parents dedicate to the growth of their children. In this sense it is also a form of security and social cohesion. The story portrayed by Lee-Ann Olwage has strictly to do with this concept. Paul Rakotozandriny He is 91 years old and has been living with dementia for 11 years. His daughter assists him Fara Rafaraniriana, aged 41. In Madagascar, a lack of public awareness about dementia means that people who show symptoms of memory loss are often stigmatised, so only Fara cared for her father, who other acquaintances considered crazy and an alcoholic. The jury awarded the universal carrier of the topic addressed: “This story addresses a universal health issue through the lens of family and care. The selection of images is composed with warmth and tenderness, reminding viewers of the love and closeness needed in a time of war and aggression around the world.”
The award-winning long-term project was created by the Venezuelan photographer Alejandro Cegarra, who works for The New York Times and Bloomberg. The project is about migratory flows at the Mexican border, an experience that Cegarra himself faced from Venezuela in 2017. Drawing on his direct experience of migration from his native Venezuela, the photographer started the project in 2018, offering, according to the jury, thanks to his point of view, a sensitive perspective focused on man and resilience of migrants. Through his photography, it is explained on the World press photo website, Cegarra hopes to promote greater understanding, empathy and solidarity towards those on the front lines of the global migration crisis.
The Open Format project instead concerns the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Julia Kochetova has created a website that combines the photojournalism and the personal diary, to show the world what it means to live with war in everyday life. The project interweaves photographic images with poetry, audio clips and music in collaboration with a Ukrainian illustrator and DJ. The project is in fact called “War is personal” and combining documentary images with poetry and music offers not only an intimate look at life under siege, but also a deeper look at how war is processed and how, despite the tragedy, pain and trauma, experiences can be shared.
