Published on 08:57 PM, April 03, 2024

World Press Photo Foundation announces 2024 Asia regional winners

Arts & Entertainment Desk

Drik Picture Library, in collaboration with World Press Photo, has announced the regional winners of the 2024 World Press Photo Contest for Asia. The announcement was made during a webinar earlier today, featuring ASM Rezaur Rahman, General Manager of Drik Picture Library, and Anna Lena Mehr, Contest Director of World Press Photo, alongside the winning photographers.

Singles | A Palestinian Woman Embraces the Body of Her Niece by Mohammed Salem | Inas Abu Maamar, 36, cradles the body of her niece Saly, 5, who was killed, along with four other family members, when an Israeli missile struck their home, Khan Younis, Gaza, 17 October 2023. The photographer describes this photo as a ‘powerful and sad moment that sums up the broader sense of what was happening in the Gaza Strip’. By the end of 2023, Palestinian women and children accounted for more than two-thirds of the death toll in Gaza, according to OHCHR

The winning entries showcase the finest examples of photojournalism and documentary photography, inviting viewers to dive deeper into both prominent and overlooked stories from across the globe. 

Among the distinguished winners 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. Additionally, Zishaan A Latif from India received an honorable mention.

Stories | Afghanistan on the Edge by Ebrahim Noroozi | An Afghan refugee near a camp by the Torkham Pakistan border crossing, 17 November 2023. Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, an already war-devastated economy on the verge of collapse continues to be impacted by the withdrawal of foreign aid. A four-year drought and two major earthquakes have exacerbated the crisis. A huge number of refugees entered the border to return home before a Pakistani government deadline for those in the country illegally to leave or face deportation

The awarded stories will be prominently featured in World Press Photo's annual exhibition, reaching millions of viewers worldwide both in physical galleries and online.

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 visually stunning selection, that 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."

Long-Term Projects | I Am Still With You by Wang Naigong | The photographer tells the story of Jiuer, a young mother of three in northern China who gains more understanding and appreciation for life in her final years after being diagnosed with cancer. Before her surgery, Jiuer invited Naigong to take some family photos and when her condition deteriorated asked her to record the time she spent with her children. Before going to sleep, Jiuer and her husband usually chant sutras together. This evening, Jiuer is physically unable to join him, so she chants from bed. Liaoning, 30 October 2021

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

This is an opportunity to applaud the work of press and documentary photographers everywhere - made with courage, intelligence, and ingenuity - and to amplify the importance of the stories they are telling, often in unimaginable circumstances."

Managing Director of Drik Picture Library, Asia region partner, Shahidul Alam

Managing Director of Drik Picture Library, Asia region partner, Shahidul Alam said, "We are perhaps witnessing the highest frequency of deaths of photojournalists in recorded history. Where world leaders appear to have lost the plot, a brave jury has decided to stand on the right side of history. They have listened to the will of the people and the photojournalists who represent them, rejecting the endless propaganda that powerful nations and their media have served up. I salute their courage and that of the brave women and men who continue to give their lives so justice may live."

Open Format | Heartstrings by Kazuhiko | Matsumura Masaharu surrounded by photos of his wife, Kimiko, and carers. Japan’s population has one of the highest global proportions of people with dementia, the leading cause of disability in the elderly, with 7 million citizens expected to live with symptoms in 2025. This project visualises social issues surrounding the condition, the inner lives of people with dementia and their relationships to their families and carers. Kimiko and her family have faced grief, loss, exhaustion and isolation from their experience of demetia

The awarded photographs were selected from 61,062 entries by 3,851 photographers from 130 countries and were judged first by six regional juries. The global winners, including the prestigious World Press Photo of the Year, will be revealed during the press opening of the Flagship World Press Photo Exhibition 2024 in Amsterdam on April 18, 2024. The exhibition is expected to tour over 60 locations worldwide, bringing these impactful stories to diverse audiences.

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Honourable Mention | The Edge by Zishaan A Latif | Bengali Muslim villagers are ferried to the mainland from sandbar islands formed by silt deposits on the Brahmaputra River, India, June 2023. When Bangladesh declared independence in 1971, many Bengali Hindus and Muslims migrated to the predominantly Hindu state of Assam in India, fuelling tensions at the border. In 2019, India’s government presented an updated National Register of Citizens questioning the citizenship of 1.9 million people ostensibly from Bangladesh, whose status remains in limbo

Founded in 1955, the World Press Photo Foundation continues to serve as a vital platform for photojournalists and documentary photographers, fostering global connections through powerful storytelling. Similarly, Drik Picture Library remains dedicated to challenging social inequality and amplifying marginalized voices through art and media.

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