World Press Photo 2010

Attracting two and a half million people each year worldwide in some 100 different locations, the world’s most prestigious annual photo exhibition, returns to Budapest.

Now in its 53rd year, the World Press Photo exhibition is the main travelling exhibition dedicated entirely to photojournalism, profiling the globe’s top press photographers and showcasing the world’s best press photos. Every February an international panel of judges selects the winning photographs from the entries. For the 2010 edition, 5847 photographers from 128 countries have sent their works to the competition and the jury has chosen 200 photos out of a total of 101960, to form the final set. This year, 63 photographers of 23 nationalities were chosen as bests, including Hungarian photographer Joe Petersburger (József  Szentpéteri), who won first prize in nature category with a photo entitled ‘Hunting kingfisher.’

Prizes were awarded in 10 theme categories, including News, Current events, People in the Spotlight, Contemporary Topics, Daily Life, Portraits, Nature, Art and Entertainment and Sports. The prestigious World Press Photo of the Year was awarded to Italian freelance photographer, Pietro Masturzo for his picture of women shouting in protest from a rooftop in Tehran, on 24 June 2009. The winning photograph is part of a story depicting the nights following the contested presidential elections in Iran, when people shouted their dissent from roofs and balconies, after daytime protests in the streets. “The photo shows the beginning of something, the beginning of a huge story. It adds perspectives to news. It touches you both visually and emotionally, and my heart went out to it immediately,” praised Jury chair Ayperi Karabuda Ecer the winning image. Masturzo has received a cash prize of EUR 10,000 and an EOS Digital SLR camera and lens kit for his effort.

“The Budapest exhibition of the World Press Photo has a 30 years history,” chief organizer of the Hungarian show, photographer Tamás Révész says. “It can be claimed without exaggeration that the World Press Photo Exhibition is one of the most popular cultural events in Budapest. Each year the national printed and electronic media deals with this event as a priority.” The World Press Photo exhibition reflects the last year again. A lot of images show violent scenes, war-stricken events and suffering, depicting bloodbath in Madagascar, US soldiers respond to Taliban fire outside their bunker in Korengal Valley, Afghanistan or a giraffe killed by drought in northeast Kenya.

The World Press Photo Foundation is an independent platform for international press photography, founded in 1955, aiming to promote a free and unrestricted exchange of information. The non-profit organization is based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. This platform manifests itself in the annual World Press Photo contest and the corresponding yearbook and exhibition. World Press Photo receives support from the Dutch Postcode Lottery and is sponsored worldwide by Canon and TNT.