Canadian War Museum presents award-winning photojournalism in World Press Photo 15 exhibition

Ottawa, Ontario, July 22, 2015 — The Canadian War Museum is once again showcasing the best of international photojournalism with World Press Photo 15. The annual exhibition of award-winning images from the prestigious World Press Photo competition will be presented starting on July 23.

The 145 large-format photographs represent images of everyday life and headline news, including human trafficking, the Ebola epidemic, the mass abduction of Nigerian girls by Boko Haram and brutal attacks launched by the self-styled Islamic State.

“We are proud to welcome the World Press Photo exhibition for the eighth consecutive year,” says Mark O’Neill, President and CEO of the Canadian Museum of History and the Canadian War Museum. “As always, we can expect to see thought-provoking images that tell compelling human and social stories, while fostering healthy debate about contemporary issues, including armed conflict.”

Photographs taken during recent or ongoing hostilities build on the Museum’s exhibitions about post-Cold War conflict and underline how these events continue to shape the world.

An international jury chose the winners from among 97,912 images captured by 5,692 photographers from 131 countries. Prizes were awarded in eight categories: Contemporary Issues, Daily Life, General News, Long-Term Projects, Nature, Portraits, Sports and Spot News.

The overall winner, named World Press Photo of the Year 2014, is by Mads Nissen of Denmark. It depicts Jon and Alex, a gay couple in Saint Petersburg, Russia, as they share an intimate moment in Alex’s small apartment. The photograph, which also won first prize in the Contemporary Issues category, is part of the larger project, “Homophobia in Russia,” which Nissen shot for the Danish daily newspaper Politiken.

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.

Visitors to World Press Photo 15 can access insightful information about the images and the photographers simply by tapping their smartphone against the descriptive panel — no special app required. This multimedia feature offers captions in nine languages, background stories and technical information about the photos, interviews with the photographers, links to related work and more.

World Press Photo 15 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 23 to August 19, 2015.

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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A selection of the winning images is available online on the World Press Photo press download area (worldpressphoto.org/press). Registration required.