World Press Photo 2024 shows the suffering of the Middle East war: a woman holds her dead daughter-in-law in her arms, wrapped in a white sheet. The photographer sees it as a moment that sums up what is happening in the Gaza Strip.
A photo of a Palestinian woman with a dead child in her arms in the Gaza Strip World Press Photo 2024. Jury The prestigious World Press Photo Contest Photographer Mohammed Salem was awarded the first prize.
Palestinian Salem photographed for Reuters on October 17, 2023. “It's a powerful and tragic moment that sums up what's happening in the Gaza Strip,” he said. The jury spoke of a moving “vision of immeasurable suffering”.
“This Indescribable moving”
Ina Abu Mamar, 36, clad in a blue dress and saffron headscarf, bends over the body of her daughter-in-law Sally, 5, wrapped in a white sheet. He was killed along with his mother and sister when an Israeli rocket hit their home in Khan Yunis.
Jury president Fiona Shields praised the significance of the photograph. “It is indescribably moving, and at the same time the argument for peace is so strong, especially when peace sometimes seems an impossible fantasy.”
Other photographers were honored
This year's photo story is South Africa's Leigh-Ann Olvage's report for Geo magazine on how people with dementia are treated in Madagascar. The jury appreciated the warmth and tenderness in the films.
Venezuelan photographer Alejandro Segara was honored in the long-term projects category for his series on immigration in Mexico.
Ukrainian photographer Yulia Kochedova won first prize for her project “War is Personal”. According to the jury, it shows how war affects people personally every day.
High risk for journalists
World Press photo director Jumana El Zain Khoury noted the personal connection photographers have with their subjects. “It helps give them a deeper understanding, which leads to empathy and compassion.” He recalled that many photojournalists had to work at personal risk and that many journalists had been killed in the war in the Middle East last year.
A total of 33 photographers were honoured. More than 3,800 people entered the contest with more than 61,000 photos. All winning photographs will be featured in an exhibition that can be seen in more than 60 countries worldwide.
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