The 67th annual World Press Photo Contest announced its list of regional winners on Wednesday, with 10 photographers from the Americas making the list, which means they will also be competing for four global awards on April 18. The award recognizes and celebrates the best photojournalism and documentary photography produced over the previous year, which this time around included more than 61,000 entries.
The categories for the regional awards separate North and Central America in one category and South America in another. Both highlighted five photographers distributed in four categories: Single Photo, Story, Long-Term Project and Open Format. "The selection encourages greater understanding and awareness of current events, as well as serves as a reminder of the need for press freedom in all corners of the world", read the official statement from the 2024 jury.
The jury also provided its perspective on each region's selection. For North and Central America, jury chair John Minchillo highlighted that "the region's crises were evident in the projects", including images that reflect "humanity's rapidly losing battle with climate change", "the dignity and hardships of those caught in an escalating wave of catastrophes" at the border and "the quiet battles for dignity and identity in our digital age."
As for South America, jury chair Julieta Escardó pointed to the fact that most documentary photographers in the region no longer work for the press and how that results not only in constraints but also in a certain degree of freedom. "We enthusiastically observed how many photographers choose to develop what we call 'Open Format' which provides a richer perspective, not only in form, but also in content", said Escardó.
South American themes included discrimination and violence against the LGBTQI+ community in the Peruvian Amazon, the most severe drought in the Amazon River's history, the active resistance of the Mapuche community against various extractive projects, the attempted coup d'état in Brazil and a call to the Venezuelan government to urgently implement an environmental regulatory framework for the oil industry.
Here are all ten winners from the Americas:
A Day in the Life of a Quebec Fire Fighter by Charles Frederick Ouellet (Category: Single Photo)
The First Climate Refugees of the United States by Sandra Mehl (Category: Honorable Mention)
The Gay Space Agency by Mackenzie Calle (Category: Open Format)
The Two Walls by Alejandro Cegarra (Category: Long-term Project)
Saving the Monarchs by Jaime Rojo (Category: Story)
Silenced Crimes by Marco Garro (Category: Open Format)
Insurrection by Gabriela Biló (Category: Honorable Mention)
The Return of Ancient Voices by Pablo Ernesto Piovano (Category: Story)
Drought in the Amazon by Lalo de Almeida (Category: Single Photo)
Red Skies, Green Waters by Adriana Loureiro Fernández (Category: Story)
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