Online Desk:  Drik Picture Library, World Press Photo’s regional partner in Asia, has announced the regional winners of the 2024 Contest, which features a selection of the world’s greatest photojournalism and documentary photography.

According to Drik, the works encourage viewers to explore beyond the news cycle and delve further into both major and obscure tales from across the world.

A webinar was held on Wednesday to make the announcement. ASM Rezaur Rahman, General Manager of Drik Picture Library, and Anna Lena Mehr, Contest Director of World Press Photo, spoke at the event along with the winning photographers.

This year’s winners for the Asia region are: ‘A Palestinian Woman Embraces the Body of Her Niece’ by Mohammed Salem, Palestine, Reuters in the Singles category; ‘Afghanistan on the Edge’ by Ebrahim Noroozi, Iran, Associated Press in the Stories category; ‘Heartstrings’ by Kazuhiko Matsumura, Japan, for The Kyoto Shimbun in the Open Format category; and ‘I Am Still with You’ by Wang Naigong, China, in the Long-Term Projects category.

Furthermore, the global jury selected one honourable mention: ‘The Edge’ by Zishaan A Latif, India. There are 24 winning projects and six honorable mentions in total for the six regions.

Additionally, this year, the jury made the exceptional decision to include two special mentions in the selection. The awarded stories will be shown to millions as part of World Press Photo’s annual exhibition in over 60 locations worldwide, while millions more will see the winning stories online.

The awarded photographs were selected from 61,062 entries by 3,851 photographers from 130 countries, judged first by six regional juries, and the winners were then chosen by a global jury consisting of the regional jury chairs plus the global jury chair, Fiona Shields, Head of Photography at The Guardian.

Executive Director of the World Press Photo Foundation, Joumana El Zein Khoury, said: “Each year, jurors from all over the globe review tens of thousands of photos to find a selection that is visually stunning, tells stories that matter, and represents our shared world. This year’s selection includes stories of desperation, hunger, war, and loss—but also of perseverance, courage, love, family, dreams, and more butterflies than anyone has a right to expect.”

Global jury chair, Fiona Shields, Head of Photography at The Guardian, said: “These final selected works are a tapestry of our world today, centred on images we believe were made with respect and integrity, that can speak universally and resonate far beyond their origins. “

Managing Director of Drik Picture Library Shahidul Alam said: “We are perhaps witnessing the highest frequency of deaths of photojournalists in recorded history. Where world leaders appear to have lost the plot, a brave jury has decided to stand on the right side of history. They have listened to the will of

the people and the photojournalists who represent them, rejecting the endless propaganda that powerful nations and their media have served up.”

The four global winners, including World Press Photo of the Year, will be announced at the press opening of the Flagship World Press Photo Exhibition 2024 at De Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and online simultaneously on April 18, 2024, at 11:00 am CEST (Amsterdam time). The World Press Photo Exhibition 2024 is expected to be shown at over 60 locations worldwide, including Amsterdam, London, Berlin, Rome, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Hong Kong, Taipei, Sydney, Toronto, and Tunis.