World Press Photos
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From 29 July- 23 August 2004, the main reading area at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (BA) is hosting the World Press Photo Exhibition, the number one international competition for press photography. The exhibition is organized by the Arts Center at the BA and sponsored by the Royal Netherlands Embassy and Unilever Mashreq. This year’s exhibition features six outstanding Australian photojournalists: Tim Clayton, Philip Blenkinsop, Adam Pretty, Tanya Lake, Craig Golding and Sandy Nicholson, whose evocative images succeed in capturing the drama, human spirit and great moments of the year 2003. Also on show is the World Press Photo of the Year by French photographer Jean-Marc Bouju of the Associated Press, who won this prestigious award for his poignant photograph of a detained Iraqi man comforting his four-year-old son. The photograph was taken at a re-groupment center for prisoners of war near Najaf, Iraq on 31 March 2003.
The World Press Photo contest, sponsored worldwide by Canon and TNT, is held annually and is the most popular event among press photographers and photojournalists. This year judging sessions took place from 1 to 12 February and the jury awarded prizes in 10 categories beside selecting the World Press Photo of the Year. The results of the Contest were announced during a press conference at the Amsterdam City Hall. The World Press Photo is an independent non-profit organization which relies on sponsorship to fund its activities and mission of encouraging high professional standards in photojournalism and promoting a free and unrestricted exchange of information.