World Press Photo to launch contest focused on creative documentary photography

By Daven Mathies October 26, 2016

world press photo 2017 warren richardson 2015 — Warren Richardson/World Press Photo

The World Press Photo Foundation announced a slew of programs for the 2017 year, including photo contests, educational programs, and a new online publication. The programs illustrate the organization’s continued commitment to supporting the craft of photojournalism around the world.

“We have a fantastic heritage of more than 60 years that has reflected developments in image making,” Executive Director Lars Boering said in a statement. “We are building on that to reward the new innovations and address the enormous challenges facing all of us in the 21st century.”

The new publication will go a long way to addressing these goals. Titled Witness, it will tackle the various issues from the world of photography, from debating aspects of the current media landscape to offering advice on developing skills and managing a business. Witness will launch on Medium on November 1.

The World Press Photo Contest for professional photojournalists will return for 2017, opening for submissions on December 1. This is the 60th edition of the contest, making it nearly as old as the foundation itself, which was founded in 1955. Each year, it receives stunning examples of the best photos in journalism.

The multimedia contest is being rebranded as the Digital Storytelling Contest, and will also open for submissions on December 1. The contest looks to reward a broad array of professional digital creators working in photojournalism.

World Press Photo will also be launching an entirely new photo contest in October 2017. Yet to be titled, the contest will focus on creative documentary photography. While still intended for working photojournalists, the contest will significantly dial back on the rules for how images are created or processed, allowing for more creative interpretations of nonfiction stories. While the contest will not split entries into categories, awards will be given for best social documentary, personal documentary, alternative imaging, innovative presentation, and more.

More information can be found at the World Press Photo website.

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Daven is a contributing writer to the photography section. He has been with Digital Trends since 2016 and has been writing…

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