The prize World Press Photo of the Yearfor the best single photo, in the competition World Press Photo 2024 the image of a Palestinian woman, Inas Abu Maamar, aged 36, embracing the body of her five-year-old granddaughter Saly, killed together with other family members when an Israeli missile hit her house, was assigned to the “Gaza Pieta” .
Reuters photographer Mohammed Salem describes the photo as a “powerful and sad moment that encapsulates the broader sense of what was happening in the Gaza Strip.”
“The jury was deeply moved by the way this image evokes an emotional reflection in every viewer. Composed with care and respect, it offers a metaphorical and literal look at an unimaginable loss,” reads the statement released by the organization.
Winner of Best Story
In the World Press Photo Story of the Year category, the winner was South African Lee-Ann Olwage with work in Madagascar, on how “the lack of public awareness about dementia means that people who show symptoms of loss of memory are often stigmatized.”
“This story addresses a universal health issue through the lens of family and care. The selection of images is composed with care and tenderness, reminding viewers the love and closeness needed in times of war and aggression around the world”, commented the jury.
In this photo, “Dada Paul” and his granddaughter Odliatemix prepare to go to church in Madagascar. He has been living with dementia for 11 years and is cared for by his daughter Fara. This story is part of Olwage’s long-term work on dementia.
Winner of best long-term project
The Venezuelan photographer Alejandro Cegarra won the award for best long-term project (World Press Photo Long-Term Project Award) with work on migrants trying to enter Mexico across the southern border.
Since 2019, Mexico’s immigration policies have undergone a significant shift, moving from a nation historically open to migrants and asylum seekers on its southern border ton Country that applies strict immigration policies.
Drawing on his own experience migrating from his native Venezuela to Mexico in 2017, photographer Alejandro Cegarra began this project in 2018. The jury felt that this photographer’s position as a migrant provided a sensitive and human-centered perspective.
Winner of the best Open Format project
In the category Open Format, the winner was Ukrainian Julia Kochetovawith a website that “combines photojournalism with a personal diary-style documentary that shows the world how to live with war as an everyday reality.”
Amid tens of thousands of civilian and military casualties and a multi-month stalemate, there are no signs of peace on the horizon for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“As the press updates its audience with statistics and maps, and international attention shifts elsewhere, the photographer has created a website that combines photojournalism with the personal documentary style of a diary to show the world what it means to live with war in everyday life” writes the organization.
The project combines photographic images with poetry, audio clips and music in collaboration with a Ukrainian illustrator and DJ.
The World Press Photo 2024 exhibition will be on display in more than 60 locations around the world, including Amsterdam, London, Berlin, Rome, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Hong Kong, Taipei, Sydney and Toronto.
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