Our annual contests recognize and celebrate the best visual journalism produced over the last year. An independent jury selects the prize-winning photographs and productions.
This year presents a first for the World Press Photo Foundation. Every year we look forward to welcoming industry professionals from all over the world to Amsterdam to judge the best of visual storytelling. Due to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, judging took place online and jury chairs were joined digitally by a team of experts from around the world to decide on the best visual storytelling of 2020. The nominees for the 2021 Digital Storytelling Contest and 2021 Photo Contest will be announced on 10 March 2021 at 12.00, noon CET.
Since 1955, the World Press Photo Contest rewards photographers for the best single exposure pictures contributing to the past year of visual journalism. Whether entered as singles or stories, these pictures are judged in terms of their accurate, fair, and visually compelling insights about our world.
The Digital Storytelling Contest, open to short documentary film and interactive productions, recognizes and rewards forms of visual storytelling enabled by digital technologies.
2021 Contests timeline
Entries open: 1 December 2020, 12.00 noon CET
Entries close: 13 January 2021, 12.00 noon CET (deadline extended)
Nominees announced: 10 March 2021, 12.00 noon CET
Winners announced: 15 April 2021
World Press Photo Festival (Online): 16-17 April 2021
Flagship World Press Photo Exhibition 2021 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands: 17 April - 25 July 2021
