Regional winners for Asia announced

Drik Picture Library, the regional partner for Asia of World Press Photo, jointly announced the regional winners of the 2024 Contest, showcasing a selection of the world’s best photojournalism and documentary photography. 

The works invite viewers to step outside the news cycle, and look more deeply at both prominent and overlooked stories from across the world. A webinar was held earlier today to make the announcement. ASM Rezaur Rahman, General Manager of Drik Picture Library, and Anna Lena Mehr, Contest Director of World Press Photo, spoke at the event along with winning photographers, said a press release. 

This year’s winners for the Asia region are: ‘A Palestinian Woman Embraces the Body of Her Niece’ by Mohammed Salem, Palestine, Reuters in the SINGLES category; ‘Afghanistan on the Edge’ by Ebrahim Noroozi, Iran, Associated Press in the STORIES category; ‘Heartstrings’ by Kazuhiko Matsumura, Japan, for The Kyoto Shimbun in the OPEN FORMAT category; and ‘I Am Still With You’ by Wang Naigong, China in the LONG-TERM PROJECTS category. Furthermore, one honorable mention selected by the global jury: ‘The Edge’ by Zishaan A Latif, India. 

There are 24 winning projects and six honourable mentions in total for the six regions. Additionally, this year, the jury made the exceptional decision to include two special mentions in the selection. The awarded stories will be shown to millions as part of World Press Photo’s annual exhibition in over 60 locations around the world. Millions more will see the winning stories online. The awarded photographs were selected from 61,062 entries by 3,851 photographers from 130 countries. They were judged first by six regional juries, and the winners were then chosen by a global jury consisting of the regional jury chairs plus the global jury chair - Fiona Shields, Head of Photography at The Guardian.

Executive Director of the World Press Photo Foundation, Joumana El Zein Khoury, said, “Each year, jurors from all over the globe review tens of thousands of photos to find a selection that is visually stunning, tells stories that matter, and represents our shared world. This year’s selection includes stories of desperation, hunger, war, and loss - but also of perseverance, courage, love, family, dreams, and more butterflies than anyone has a right to expect.”

Global jury chair, Fiona Shields, Head of Photography at The Guardian, said, “These final selected works are a tapestry of our world today, entered on images we believe were made with respect and integrity, that can speak universally and resonate far beyond their origins.”