WORLD PRESS PHOTO 09
10.10.–29.11.2009
From the 30th of October till the 29th of November WestLicht. Schauplatz für Fotografie will be showing the World Press Photo 09 exhibition. This will comprise around 200 of the best press photographs of 200 which have been awarded prizes in the most prestigious photo-journalist competition in the world.
Since 1955 the board of the World Press Photo Foundation, an independent platform for photo-journalism which has its headquarters in Amsterdam, has invited press photographers and photo-journalists from all over the world to take part in the World Press Photo competition. An international jury, which is changed each year and consists of 13 members, judges the submitted entries that come from photographers, agencies, newspapers and magazines all over the world.
The prize winners for series and individual photographs in ten different categories were announced on the 13th of February 2009. The international jury of the 52nd annual World Press Photo Contest have selected a black-and-white image by the American photographer Anthony Suau as World Press Photo of the Year 2008. The picture shows an armed officer of the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Department moving through a home in Cleveland, Ohio, following eviction as a result of mortgage foreclosure. Officers have to ensure that the house is clear of weapons, and that the residents have moved out. The winning photograph, taken in March 2008, is part of a story commissioned by Time magazine. The story as a whole won Second Prize in the Daily Life category of the contest. Jury chair MaryAnne Golon said: »The strength of the picture is in its opposites. It's a double entendre. It looks like a classic conflict photograph, but it is simply the eviction of people from a house following foreclosure. Now war in its classic sense is coming into people's houses because they can't pay their mortgages.«
The main prize, the World Press Photo photo of the year is awarded to an individual photograph that is not only a summation of the previous year in photo-journalism but also deals with subject matter, a situation or event which has great journalistic significance and, at the same, time shows exceptional achievement in the areas of visual perception and creativity.
The show, which is conceived of as a travelling exhibition, will visit over 100 locations throughout the world and is seen by around two million visitors. It is not only an impressive demonstration of achievements in international photo-journalism but also a unique retrospective of events of worldwide importance and historical significance that have taken place during the previous year.
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