Canadian War Museum presents World Press Photo 16 exhibition of top photojournalism
July 21, 2016MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release
Ottawa, Ontario, July 21, 2016 — The Canadian War Museum is pleased to once again showcase the World Press Photo competition’s annual exhibition of award-winning images. The 155 large-format photographs in World Press Photo 16 depict everyday life and headline news from 2015. It was a year dominated by the Syrian civil war and refugee crisis, but shaped as well by terrorist attacks in Europe, modern-day slavery, air pollution, natural disasters, natural wonders, protests against racial violence by police and milestones such as the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States.
The overall winner, named World Press Photo of the Year 2015, shows a man passing a baby through a hole in razor wire to outstretched arms on the other side. Australian freelance photographer Warren Richardson captured the moody, moonlit scene as a group of 200 Syrian refugees evaded police and crossed the border from Serbia into Hungary during the night of August 28.
“We are proud to host the best of visual journalism for the ninth consecutive year,” says Stephen Quick, Director General of the Canadian War Museum. “Whether they capture ongoing armed conflicts or give us a glimpse into the daily lives of North Korea, the indelible images in World Press Photo 16 illustrate compelling human stories and important contemporary issues, documented by dedicated and courageous photojournalists around the world.”
This year’s contest drew 82,951 entries by 5,775 photographers from 128 countries. An independent jury awarded prizes in eight categories to 42 photographers from 21 countries, including Canada. The categories are Contemporary Issues, Daily Life, General News, Long-Term Projects, Nature, People, Sports and Spot News.
Canadian Kevin Frayer took first prize in Daily Life (Singles) for an image of men pushing a tricycle against the smoggy backdrop of a coal-fired power plant in China’s northern Shanxi Province. He also earned second prize in Daily Life (Stories) for his portfolio from the week-long Bliss Dharma Assembly, an annual gathering in the remote Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, 4,000 metres above sea level in Sichuan, China.
The contest’s organizer, the World Press Photo Foundation, is a non-profit organization committed to supporting and advancing high standards in photojournalism and documentary storytelling worldwide. Its aim is to generate wide public interest in, and appreciation of, the work of photographers and other visual journalists, while also promoting the free exchange of information.
World Press Photo 16 was developed and circulated by World Press Photo, and is presented at the Canadian War Museum in partnership with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. World Press Photo receives support from the Dutch Postcode Lottery, and is sponsored worldwide by Canon. Following its presentation in Ottawa, the exhibition will travel to Montréal, Toronto and Chicoutimi, Quebec.
The winning photographs will be on display in the War Museum’s Barney Danson Theatre from July 22 to August 17.
This presentation contains subject matter that some visitors may find disturbing.
The Canadian War Museum is Canada’s national museum of military history. Its mission is to promote public understanding of Canada’s military history in its personal, national, and international dimensions. Work of the Canadian War Museum is made possible in part through financial support of the Government of Canada.
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Media contacts:
Yasmine Mingay
Director, Public Affairs
Canadian War Museum
Telephone: 819-776-8608
Email: yasmine.mingay@warmuseum.ca
Avra Gibbs Lamey
Senior Communications and Media Relations Officer, Canadian War Museum
Telephone: 819-776-8607
Email: avra.gibbs-lamey@warmuseum.ca
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