Bangladesh spearheads regionalisation of World Press Photo contest

The World Press Photo contest is the most prestigious and well-known press photo contest in the world. Its international jury is considered the UN of photojournalism. 68 years after its inception in 1955, World Press Photo has initiated a regional judging programme where the judging will be physically conducted in a region and managed by a regional partner.

Asia is the first region where this is being implemented. A rollout into other regions will take place in subsequent years. Drik Picture Library Ltd. in Bangladesh has been appointed the regional hub for Asia and has successfully completed the Asian judging with jury members flying into Dhaka from China, India, Japan, Lebanon and Syria alongside World Press Photo officials from the Netherlands. The judging was conducted in the office of Drik in Panthapath in Dhaka. Pathshala, the South Asian Media Institute will manage the accompanying regional training programme.

The chair of the Asian jury Hideko Kataoka, the director of photography of Newsweek Japan, will represent Asia in the Global Jury in Amsterdam later this month.

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Joumana El Zein Khoury, executive director of World Press Photo Foundation said:

"We are grateful to have the opportunity to work together with Drik, as the leading photography institute in the region, to learn from them and share their knowledge, expertise, and network activities to connect to the local photography community in the region truly. By combining our activities we can make sure to more clearly see the stories and hear the voices from the region."

Shahidul Alam, managing director of Drik Picture Library said:

“Drik was set up to challenge the stereotypical representation of our peoples and cultures. Locating the epicentre of the regional contest in Asia is a giant move in that direction. World Press Photo is a hugely respected entity in global photojournalism. Teaming up with them not only allows a synergy between these two impressive organizations but also signals a conscious move towards greater diversity and inclusion that photojournalism must embrace.”