Photo Evert Elzinga

140310 Launch of world tour World Press Photo 14 at De Nieuwe Kerk Amsterdam

140310 Launch of world tour World Press Photo 14 at De Nieuwe Kerk Amsterdam
World Press Photo of the Year 2013
John Stanmeyer, USA, VII for National Geographic

On Friday 18 April 2014 De Nieuwe Kerk Amsterdam opensWorld Press Photo 14, being the first venue of this year’s global exhibition tour annually following this international press photography contest. The exhibition consists of over 150 striking press photos of 53 price winners, in the following nine categories: Contemporary Issues, Daily Life, General News, Spot News, Nature, Observed Portraits, Staged Portraits, Sports Action and Sports Feature. The visitor sets out on a photographic trip around the world covering all continents and a wide variety of themes and historical events of the year 2013. This year’s winner is John Stanmeyer (USA) with his entry Signal, shot for the National Geographic. This mystical image depicts African migrants on the shore of Djibouti city at night, raising their phones in an attempt to catch an inexpensive signal from neighbouring Somalia. The contest has also brought some Dutch success: in the category Observed Portraits Carla Kogelman has won the first price for her series Ich bin Waldviertel. Kogelman portrays Hannah and Alena, two sisters in the small village of Merkenbrechts in Austria. In addition to the winning photographs – six for each category – the winners of the multimedia contest are on display as well. World Press Photo 14runs from Friday 18 April till Sunday 22 June 2014 in De Nieuwe Kerk Amsterdam. The very first exhibition was also held in Amsterdam, in 1955, as a counterpoint to the Dutch Silver Camera Award. Between 1982 and 1999 De Nieuwe Kerk Amsterdam has already accommodated the World Press Photo exhibition. Now, after 15 years the exhibition returns to its former location on Dam Square in Amsterdam.

The Multimedia Contest

In the middle of the exhibition area, situated in the chancel of the monumental Nieuwe Kerk building, the winners of the multimedia contest are featured via beamers and display screens. In recent years journalists have increasingly started to use moving images and internet, media which each year continue to become more and more professional as a result of the digital revolution. In 2011 this led to the launch of the first annual World Press Multimedia Contest. As of 15 March the jury starts judging this year’s entries, which are divided into sections for short features, long features and interactive documentaries. The winners shall be announced on 24 March.

De Nieuwe Kerk Amsterdam is supported by its founder the BankGiro Loterij and its main sponsor KPMG. World Press Photo receives support from the Nationale Postcode Loterij and is sponsored worldwide by Canon. The exhibition in Amsterdam is sponsored by Delta Lloyd.