The announcement of the winning photos in February is the big moment on our annual calendar. This morning, the international jury of the 54th World Press Photo Contest named a photo by South African photographer Jodi Bieber as the World Press Photo of the Year 2010. The image is a portrait of Bibi Aisha, disfigured as punishment for fleeing her husband’s house, taken in Kabul, Afghanistan. The image was also awarded First prize in the category Portraits Singles in this year’s contest.
Jodi Bieber received a phone call from us with the news that she won the premier award. Listen to a recording of her reaction here.
Online gallery of winners
Over 5,691 photographers entered the 2011 World Press Photo Contest and 56 were named winners in nine categories. The full list of winners and a gallery of winning images can be viewed on our website.
Insights from the jury
Following the selection of the winners, we interviewed jury chair David Burnett about the World Press Photo of the Year. We also talked with chair of the Portraits specialized jury Vince Aletti, chair of the Nature specialized jury Ruth Eichhorn and chair of the Sports specialized jury Heinz Kluetmeier. The jury chairs each discuss the images that were named winners in their respective categories.
You can also watch earlier interviews with the chairs of the jury as they paused for a moment of reflection after the first week of the two-week judging period.
For more insight into the process and procedure of the annual contest, you can watch a time-lapse video of the jury room being set up, read about the judging protocol or browse our Storify overview of the social media discussions around the contest.
Awards Days: inspirational get-together
From 6 – 7 May, the prizewinners will gather in Amsterdam for the 2011 Awards Days. This unique event gives them the opportunity to meet with other photography professionals, attend lectures and presentations and receive their awards during a ceremony in their honor. On this occasion we invite our award-winning guests to present their work at the historic Felix Meritis building and immerse themselves in the productions of their peers. As always, hundreds of photography aficionados are expected to turn up for this inspirational weekend, which ends with the Awards Ceremony on Saturday night. The celebration will be attended by an international gathering of dignitaries and other guests involved with photography. The evening culminates in the presentation of the 2011 awards.
2011 exhibition set for its world tour
The 2011 exhibition season will kick off in Amsterdam when it opens at the historic Oude Kerk on 22 April. It will then continue on a year-long tour to around 100 cities across the globe, including new locations such as Beirut, Lebanon and Maribor, Slovenia. View the exhibition calendar here.
Yearbook to be published soon
The 2011 World Press Photo yearbook is available for pre-order on our website. Now also available in Russian, the book is published in seven language editions and features a selection of award-winning material from each category. Whether you have a chance to visit the 2011 exhibition or not, you can be among the first to receive this beautifully printed publication in the language of your choice. For more information, click here.
Lotterys support to continue
The Dutch Postcode Lottery is continuing its valued support of World Press Photo. During a gala on 9 February, the largest lottery in the Netherlands presented another generous check to Michiel Munneke, World Press Photos managing director. The 75 causes supported by the lottery include Amnesty International, Greenpeace and Human Rights Watch. Read the press release here (in Dutch).