The World Press Photo Foundation is proud to introduce the regional winners of the 2022 World Press Photo Contest. In each of the six regions of our new contest model, a selection of entries per category was first made by regional juries, from which the global jury then selected 24 regional winners and six honorable mentions.
Chosen out of 64,823 entries by 4,066 photographers from 130 countries, the 2022 Contest regional winners are 24 photographers from 23 countries: Argentina, Australia, Canada, Colombia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Japan, Madagascar, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Palestine, Russia, Sudan, and Thailand.
Providing a variety of perspectives from all corners of the globe, the awarded works present courageous stories, invaluable insights and a diversity of interpretations – from the undeniable effects of the climate crisis to civil rights movements, and from access to education to preserving indigenous practices and identity. In yet another transformative year for the world, the majority of the 2022 World Press Photo Contest winners also tell the stories of those related to them, with 19 out of 24 of the awarded projects told by photographers from the country and/or community in which their story is from.
See the collection of 2022 Contest awarded photos and stories
“We had a very diverse range of topics that were highlighted – stories about the protests in Sudan, the civil war going on in Ethiopia, and how young people are in the streets fighting to protect democracy.” – N'Goné Fall, Senegal, independent curator, and 2022 Contest Africa jury chair
For the region Africa, the 2022 World Press Photo Contest jury awarded:
Sudan Protests by Faiz Abubakr Mohamed, Sudan
Afraid to go to School by Sodiq Adelakun Adekola, Nigeria, Agence France-Presse
The Zebu War by Rijasolo, Madagascar/France, Riva Press
The Longing of the Stranger Whose Path Has Been Broken by Rehab Eldalil, Egypt
The jury also appointed one Honorable Mention for:
Searching for Peace Amidst Chaos by Amanuel Sileshi, Ethiopia, Agence France-Presse
“Each of these continents brings in a lot of issues that also have global connectivity… This particular edition is going to take us to a totally fresh view about lots of different visual approaches and storytelling.” – Tanzim Wahab, Bangladesh, director, Chobi Mela International Photography Festival, and 2022 Contest Asia jury chair
For the region Asia, the 2022 World Press Photo Contest jury awarded:
Singles
Palestinian Children in Gaza by Fatima Shbair, Palestine, Getty Images
The Cinema of Kabul by Bram Janssen, the Netherlands, The Associated Press
Boundaries: Human-Tiger Conflict by Senthil Kumaran, India
Blue Affair by Kosuke Okahara, Japan
The jury also appointed one Honorable Mention for:
Endless War by Dar Yasin, India, The Associated Press
“I was looking for visual quality and the relevance of the topic – what was in the images. I was also looking for an innovative way of telling stories and I’m happy to see the commitment of the photographer as well.” – Simona Ghizzoni, Italy, photographer, artist and activist for women's rights, and 2022 Contest Europe jury chair
For the region Europe, the 2022 World Press Photo Contest jury awarded:
Singles
Evia Island Wildfire by Konstantinos Tsakalidis, Greece, for Bloomberg News
As Frozen Land Burns by Nanna Heitmann, Russia/Germany, Magnum Photos
Ukraine Crisis by Guillaume Herbaut, France, Agence VU’
Open Format
The Book of Veles by Jonas Bendiksen, Norway
The jury also appointed one Honorable Mention for:
M+T by Mary Gelman, Russia
“It’s been really interesting to have these discussions around critical thinking, about photography and the issues that we’re covering today, how it is relevant and what we can do to contribute to that narrative in a meaningful way.” – Clare Vander Meersch, Canada, photo editor, The Globe and Mail, founding member, Magenta Foundation, and 2022 Contest North and Central America jury chair
For the region North and Central America, the 2022 World Press Photo Contest jury awarded:
Singles
Kamloops Residential School by Amber Bracken, Canada, for The New York Times
The People Who Feed the United States by Ismail Ferdous, Bangladesh, Agence VU’
Political Year Zero by Louie Palu, Canada
The Flower of Time. Guerrero's Red Mountain by Yael Martínez, Mexico
The jury also appointed one Honorable Mention for:
Amid High Mortality Rates, Black Women Turn to Midwives by Sarah Reingewirtz, United States, for Los Angeles Daily News and Southern California News Group
Discover all the awarded projects from North and Central America
“One of my biggest expectations was that each one of the regions was going to have the chance to talk by themselves – those stories are going to be told, they are going to have a space to be published in a book, to be in an exhibition. With this regional model, we can give a voice to each one of the continents to be represented.” – Ernesto Benavides, Peru, documentary photographer, and 2022 Contest South America jury chair
For the region South America, the 2022 World Press Photo Contest jury awarded:
Singles
San Isidro Settlement Eviction by Vladimir Encina, Colombia
Amazonian Dystopia by Lalo de Almeida, Brazil, for Folha de São Paulo/Panos Pictures
Open Format
Blood is a Seed by Isadora Romero, Ecuador
The jury also appointed one Honorable Mention for:
A Portrait of Absence by Viviana Peretti, Italy
“We saw a lot of personal documentary work coming out, which was really nice to give us an intimate look at people’s lives but we also had a lot of stories that were about environmental destruction by man and its impact, the coup d'etat in Myanmar, and the ongoing protests in Thailand as well, and of course the ongoing fallout from COVID all across the region.” – Jessica Lim, Singapore, director, Angkor Photo Festival & Workshops, and 2022 Contest Southeast Asia and Oceania jury chair
For the region Southeast Asia and Oceania, the 2022 World Press Photo Contest jury awarded:
Singles
Slingshots by Anonymous, for The New York Times
Saving Forests with Fire by Matthew Abbott, Australia, for National Geographic/Panos Pictures
Haze by Abriansyah Liberto, Indonesia
The Will to Remember by Charinthorn Rachurutchata, Thailand
The jury also appointed one Honorable Mention for:
Uprising in Myanmar by Ta Mwe, Myanmar, Sacca Photo
Discover all the awarded projects from Southeast Asia and Oceania
Selected from the regional winners in each category, the 2022 Contest global winners – the World Press Photo of the Year, the World Press Photo Story of the Year, the World Press Photo Long-Term Project Award, and the World Press Photo Open Format Award – will be announced on 7 April. The global awards carry an additional cash prize of 5,000 euros.
