PORTIMÃO IS hosting the national debut of the most important world exhibition of photojournalism and the biggest national gala of press photography in the Zona Ribeirinha (Portimão waterfront).
Portimão Câmara and the Associação Música XXI, with the support of Faro National Capital of Culture 2005, will bring to Portimão the joint debut of two photojournalism exhibitions – World Press Photo and the Visão/BES Photojournalism Prize. Present at the inauguration of the exhibition, which took place on July 6, was this year’s winner of World Press Photo 2005, Indian photojournalist Arko Datta.
Every year, World Press Photo invites photojournalists from all over the world to participate in the most important international competition of press photography. This year, the 48th anniversary of the competition, the winning shot was taken by Arko Datta of Reuters during the Thailand tsunami disaster last December, reflecting human impotence in the face of natural catastrophes.
This year, a total of 4,266 photographers from 123 countries took part in the competition, submitting a massive 69,190 images – a record in the history of World Press Photo. Prizes were awarded in 10 categories to 63 photographers of 24 different nationalities.
World Press Photo is a non-profit making cultural organisation founded in Holland in 1955, with the objective of supporting and promoting internationally the work of press photographers. Over the years, World Press Photo has become an independent platform for photojournalism and the free circulation of information.
In parallel, for the second consecutive year, the winning images in the Visão/BES Photojournalism Prize competition will also be on view. Of the 4,000 entries, 41 photographs from 18 photographers received awards, the overall winner being freelancer Sandra Rocha for her images in the “Daily Life” category.
Until July 31, between 3pm and midnight, visitors can peruse images of some of the most important world events of 2004 and, according to exhibition organisers, are “invited to reflect on today’s world and the human condition”.
