WORLD PRESS PHOTO EXHIBIT 2008

UNEDITED SAMPLE FEATURE ARTICLE
By Vicson Aypa Mabanglo
IV - Sir Isaac Newton


A great journalist tackles his topic carefully. He cares about the truth. He cares about people and the ideal world. A great journalist can widen a topic and enrich it to the fullest yet making it simple and interesting, that everyone in the society can understand and can relate to it. A journalist is powerful, in such a way that his words are respected and believed. His words are his weapons that guide him to see the different points of view present in this world we live in. But sometimes, we, people, forget the true value of journalists. We tend not to read and understand their works and articles, we just let they’re masterpieces pile on the corners of our houses. We, people, become lazy and just rely on other forms of mass media that depends on technology, not knowing that a journalist can elaborate articles, topics, specifically news, more than any other type of profession with just his words. We tend to forget their numerous efforts that help us see reality.

When things continue to get worse due to the fact that people become tired of reading and forget the value of it, photojournalism enters the scene. Photojournalism breaks almost all the barriers that hinder people to see what is needed to be understood. Photojournalism serves as the sword and shield of journalism. Photojournalism serves as the bridge of communication between a journalist and a reader who never fails to criticize and depict articles.
A photojournalist is a combination of a journalist and a photographer. A journalist tells stories. A photographer takes pictures of nouns (people, places and things). A photojournalist takes the best of both and locks it into the most powerful medium available – frozen. (Mark M. Hancock, 1996)

A photojournalist is a visual reporter of facts. The public places trust in its reporters to tell the truth. The same trust is extended to photojournalists as visual reporters. A picture can actually tell it all. A photojournalist is as important as a journalist who writes articles. A photojournalist plays a major role just like any other staff of a pressroom. And this is what the World Press Photo organization wants us to realize and learn.

Founded in 1955, World Press photo is an independent non-profit organization that is based in Netherlands. The organization aims to promote and support the unnoticed efforts and works of photojournalists all around the world. The organization is widely known around the world as the one responsible for the world's largest and most prestigious annual press photography contest. The contest is judged by professionals recognized in the field of photography. After the contest, the photographs that emerge victorious will then be on a travelling exhibit around the world. The photographs will also be on the yearbook published in six different languages by the same organization. The organization determines winners in ten different categories namely; Spot News, General News, People in the News, Arts and Entertainment, Sports Action, Sports Features, Contemporary Issues, Daily Life, Portraits, and Nature. These categories are then divided into two sub-categories, the Singles and the Stories.

The World Press Photo also sponsors other educational projects and seminars such as the annual Joop Swart Masterclass, that started in 1994, which aims to develop photojournalists that are just starting their carreers.

This year, 2008, a total of 5,019 photographers from 125 countries entered 80,536 images. (World Press Photo Brochure, SM Mall of Asia, Philippines, August 9, 2008) On February of the same year, the photos were judged on Amsterdam by a jury composed of thirteen professionals in press photography. A total of 185 prize winning pictures were chosen to join the traditional travelling exhibit around the world showcasing them to more than 100 cities over two million people. (World Press Photo Brochure, SM Mall of Asia, Philippines, August 9, 2008)

Here are the list of the winners of the World Press Photo 2007.

World Press Photo of the Year 2007

Tim Hetherington
UK, for Vanity Fair

Spot News
1st prize singles
John Moore
USA, Getty Images

2nd prize singles
Bold Hungwe
Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Independent

3rd prize singles
Stephen Morrison
Canada, European Pressphoto Agency

Honorable Mention
Emilio Morenatti
Spain, The Associated Press

1st prize stories
John Moore
USA, Getty Images

2nd prize stories
Roberto Schmidt
Colombia/Germany, Agence France-Presse

3rd prize stories
Mike Kamber
USA, The New York Times

General News
1st prize singles
Balazs Gardi
Hungary, VII Network/Alexia Foundation

2nd prize singles
Stanley Greene
USA, Noor

3rd prize singles
Takagi Tadatomo
Japan

Honorable Mention
Christoph Bangert
Germany, Laif for Stern

1st prize stories
Balazs Gardi
Hungary, VII Network/Alexia Foundation

2nd prize stories
Tim Hetherington
UK, for Vanity Fair

3rd prize stories
Cédric Gerbehaye
Belgium, Agence Vu

People in the News
1st prize singles
Yonathan Weitzman
Israel

2nd prize singles
Carol Guzy
USA, Washington Post

3rd prize singles
Daniel Berehulak
Australia, Getty Images

1st prize stories
Philippe Dudouit
Switzerland, for Time magazine

2nd prize stories
Francesco Zizola
Italy, Noor for Internazionale

3rd prize stories
Oded Balilty
Israel, The Associated Press

Sports Action
1st prize singles
Ivaylo Velev
Bulgaria, Bul X Vision Photography Agency

2nd prize singles
Frank Wechsel
Germany, Spomedis

3rd prize singles
Miguel Barreira
Portugal, Record

1st prize stories
Tim Clayton
Australia, Sydney Morning Herald

2nd prize stories
Fei Maohua
China, Xinhua News Agency

3rd prize stories
Chris Detrick
USA, The Salt Lake Tribune

Sports Features
1st prize singles
Andrew Quilty
Australia, Oculi for Australian Financial Review Magazine

2nd prize singles
Miguel Riopa
Spain, Agence France-Presse

3rd prize singles
Tomasz Gudzowaty & Judit Berekai
Poland/Hungary, Yours Gallery/Focus Fotoagentur

1st prize stories
Erik Refner
Denmark, Berlingske Tidende

2nd prize stories
Erika Larsen
USA, Redux Pictures for Field & Stream Magazine

3rd prize stories
Travis Dove
USA

Contemporary Issues
1st prize singles
Brent Stirton
South Africa, Reportage by Getty Images for Newsweek

2nd prize singles
Zsolt Szigetváry
Hungary, MTI

3rd prize singles
William Daniels
France

1st prize stories
Jean Revillard
Switzerland, Rezo.ch

2nd prize stories
Lorena Ros
Spain, Panos Pictures

3rd prize stories
Olivier Culmann
France, Tendance Floue, for Guardian Weekend magazine

Daily Life
1st prize singles
Justin Maxon
USA, Aurora Photos

2nd prize singles
Benjamin Lowy
USA, VII Network

3rd prize singles
Vladimir Vyatkin
Russia, Ria Novosti

1st prize stories
Pieter ten Hoopen
The Netherlands, Agence Vu

2nd prize stories
Carolyn Drake
USA, Panos Pictures

3rd prize stories
Christopher Anderson
Canada, Magnum Photos for National Geographic Magazine

Portraits
1st prize singles
Platon
UK, for Time magazine

2nd prize singles
Chuck Close
USA, New York Magazine

3rd prize singles
Simona Ghizzoni
Italy, Agenzia Contrasto

1st prize stories
Vanessa Winship
UK, Agence Vu

2nd prize stories
Benjamin Lowy
USA, VII Network for The New York Times Magazine

3rd prize stories
Lana Slezic
Canada, Panos Pictures

Arts and Entertainment
1st prize singles
Ariana Lindquist
USA

2nd prize singles
Stefano De Luigi
Italy, D La Repubblica delle Donne

3rd prize singles
Qi Xiaolong
China, Tianjin Daily

1st prize stories
Rafal Milach
Poland, Anzenberger Agency

2nd prize stories
Massimo Siragusa
Italy, Agenzia Contrasto

3rd prize stories
Cristina García Rodero
Spain, Magnum Photos

Nature
1st prize singles
Fang Qianhua
China, Nangfang Dushi Daily/Southern Metropolis Daily

2nd prize singles
Jeff Hutchens
USA, Reportage by Getty Images for CNN

3rd prize singles
Damon Winter
USA, The New York Times

1st prize stories
David Liittschwager
USA, National Geographic Images

2nd prize stories
Paul Nicklen
Canada, National Geographic Magazine

3rd prize stories
Paul Nicklen
Canada, National Geographic Magazine

(World Press Photo, www.worldpressphoto.org, 2008)

The gallery has been here in our country two years in row. The first gallery was on May of the year 2007 wherein the 2006 winners were exposed and the second gallery was held on August of this year, 2008, showcasing the winners of the 2007.

Tim Hetherington of United Kingdom took the latest World Press Photo of the year, 2007.
He took a shot of a U.S. soldier resting on a banker between a war in Afghanistan in September 16, 2007.

In the Spot News Single, John Moore of USA bagged the 1st prize showcasing the bomb explosion next to former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto’s vehicle. In the Spot News Stories, John Moore also got the 1st prize showcasing the same genre of photographs.

Balazs Gardi of Hungary got the General News Single 1st prize. He won the 1st prize with the help of his photo showcasing a man holding a wounded boy during an air strike in Afghanistan. Gardi also won the General News Stories again with the same genre of photographs.

In the People in the News category - Singles, Yonathan Weitzman bagged the first place over Carol Guzy of USA. He showcased a photo of a dress of a girl escaping from Israeli-Egyptian Border. While in the People in the News category – Stories, Philippe Dudouit got the 1st prize elaborating the war between the Turkish authorities and the militants’ party.

Ivaylo Velev of Bulgaria got the 1st prize in the Sports Action Singles. Wherein the photograph shows how a skier escaped a near death experience in an avalanche. On the other hand, an Australian, Tim Clayton, depicting the traditional land diving of the natives of Vanuatu, bagged the 1st prize in Sport Action Stories category.

Another Australian bagged the 1st prize. Andrew Quilty won in the Sports Features Single. He took a photograph of children watching a local horse race by the racetrack. In the Sports Feature Stories category, Erik Refner submitted an album of Copenhagen Marathon, making him the 1st placer.

Brent Stirton got the Contemporary Issues Singles category award with his photo of evacuation of four dead gorillas of the Republic of Congo by the natives. While in the Stories category, Jean Revillard, a Swiss national, won with his photo showcasing migrants of the Sangette refuge due to the Middle East war.

In the Daily Life Singles category of the contest, Justin Maxon of USA showcased his talent in photography by submitting a photo of a mother and child living in the outskirts of Vietnam. The mother is afraid about the thought that she has HIV due to the fact that her husband was a carrier and has left them. In the Daily Life Stories category Pieter ten Hoopen of Netherlands, bagged the 1st place in which he showcased one of the town of Russia with its daily happenings.

In the Portraits category, the Singles was won by Platon while the Stories was won by Vanessa Winship, both of them from UK. Platon took a face photo of the Russian President Vladimir Putin while Winship took portrait photographs of schoolgirls in Turkey.

In the Arts and Entertainment Category the Singles was taken by Ariana Lindquist showcasing a Shanghai girl at the backstage waiting for her turn in a Coplay contest. Rafael Milach of Poland, on the other hand, got the 1st prize in Arts and Entertainment Stories category. He depicted retired artists in his photographs.

In the Nature Singles, a Chinese won. He was Fang Quinhua and he won with his photograph of a leaf of an endangered tree, Nammu. David Liittschwager got the 1st prize in the News Stories Category. He is an American and he showed different facts about life in water in his winning photographs.

The World Press Photo Organization is really a remarkable institution. It has valid visions and missions, which for sure will help and aid in the development of journalism. Development iss usual and unnoticed in such a way that it paces up with how time passes by. No wonder, someday we’ll just notice that photojournalism really has developed. Photojournalism, which is now unnoticed, will someday be the trend maker off information.

REFERENCES:

The World Press Photo Website (2008) from http://www.worldpressphoto.org

Mark Hancock (1996) from Photo Journalism, Online Blog (January 1, 1996) from http://markhancock.blogspot.com/1996/01/what-is-photojournalist.html

The World Press Photo Exhibit/Gallery (2008), The World Press Photo Brochure, SM Mall of Asia, Philippines, August 9, 2008