On July 29th, the 2016 World Press Photo Exhibition will return to the Brisbane Powerhouse for a month long stay. Showcasing some of the most powerful and politically charged images of the previous 12 months, the exhibition has been touring for the last 59 years.
Running since the 1950s, this year’s contest drew entries from around the globe: 5,775 photographers from 128 countries submitted 82,951 images. The jury gave prizes in eight categories to 42 photographers from 21 countries: Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Turkey, and the USA.
The grand title of World Press Photo was awarded to Australian photographer Warren Richardson, making it a key feature in this year’s exhibition. Capturing the moment when a fleeing refugee passes an infant child through a gap in the Hungarian border security fence, Budpest-based Richardson relied only on moonlight to light the picture, playing “cat and mouse with the police the whole night.”
Jury member Vaughn Wallace said of the piece: “We’ve seen thousands of images of migrants in every form of their journey but this image really caught my eye…This isn’t the end of one journey but it’s the completion of one stage of a very, very long future. So for me, this had to be the photo of the year.”
Running from Friday July 29th until Sunday August 21st, the World Press Photo Exhibition will take place at Brisbane Powerhouse, opening every night until 9pm.
The exhibition tours the world, exhibiting in 45 countries – see the World Press Photo website for information on upcoming venues and locations
Image credit: Warren Richardson, Hope For A New Life (World Press Photo website).
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