The World Press Photo Exhibition is returning to Sydney with help from Fujifilm

A Fijian community elder stands with his grandson at the point where he remembers the shoreline used to be when he was a boy in Salia Bay, Kioa Island, Fiji

Lotomau Fiafia (72), a community elder, stands with his grandson John at the point where he remembers the shoreline used to be when he was a boy. Salia Bay, Kioa Island, Fiji. (Image credit: Eddie Jim (The Age/Sydney Morning Herald))

It's one of the most prestigious photography awards and the winning images from the 67th edition of the World Press Photo Contest are ready to wow Sydneysiders starting May 25.

The World Press Photo Exhibition has being touring the globe for years, and the State Library of New South Wales played host to the 2023 event when it came to Australia. This year, with support from Fujifilm, the exhibition makes its 2024 comeback at the same venue, and opening-night guests will get an exclusive preview of the Japanese manufacturer's newest cameras – the medium format Fujifilm GFX 100S II and the retro Fujifilm X-T50 that puts film simulations on a dial for the first time.

While the preview of the cameras is for one day only, the exhibition will be in town until July 7, and entry is free.

It brings some of the finest photojournalism and documentary photography from across the globe, including two entries that were shot with Fujifilm cameras – one using the Fujifilm X-Pro 2 (shown below) and the other was shot with the Fujifilm GFX 50S II.

A young man greets his mother for the first time since he joined the Tigray Defense Forces two years earlier in Saesie Tsada, Ethiopia — Kibrom Berhane (24) greets his mother for the first time since he joined the Tigray Defense Forces, two years earlier. Saesie Tsada, Ethiopia | Shot with the Fujifilm X-Pro 2 (Image credit: Vincent Haiges (Republik, Real 21))

Two Australians are also among the 2024 winners for the Southeast Asia and Oceania region – Eddie Jim winning in the Singles category (with image shown at the top of this page) and Aletheia Casey with her portrayal of the Australian bushfires of 2019-2020 for Open Format category (see below).

At its core, the World Press Photo aims to foster connections by highlighting stories of global significance. By transcending the daily news cycle, the exhibition encourages viewers to engage critically with pressing issues worldwide, fostering mutual understanding through accurate, diverse, and high-quality visual storytelling.

Established in 1955, the World Press Photo Foundation has been dedicated to showcasing the best in photojournalism and documentary photography. With its annual photo contest, the foundation reaches millions worldwide, with the exhibition traveling to over 60 cities in more than 40 countries each year.

This image of silhouetted trees, with the photo being overlaid with inks and reworked — Taken near the artist's parents' home in Callala Bay (Jerrinja and Wandi Wandian Country), Australia. This town was relatively unaffected by the 2019-2020 wildfires, but its residents were evacuated multiple times during that period and the threat of another wildfire remains constant. The photograph was overlaid with inks and reworked by the photographer. (Image credit: Aletheia Casey)

The World Press Photo Contest for 2024 saw an impressive turnout, with 61,062 entries submitted by 3,581 photographers hailing from 130 different countries. A panel of 31 esteemed professionals from around the globe dedicated six weeks to meticulously reviewing this year's submissions, and the European jury chair – photojournalist Anastasia Taylor-Lind – will be at the opening night of the Sydney exhibition (May 25), hosting an event to share her thoughts on the contest and the winning photos.

The 2024 World Press Photo Contest is organized into six worldwide regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, North and Central America, South America, and Southeast Asia, and Oceania. Entries were evaluated based on the region in which they were captured. Across these regions, there are four format-based categories: Singles, Stories, Long-Term Projects, and Open Format. These categories welcome submissions that capture news moments, events and aftermaths, and shed light on social, political, and environmental issues or solutions.

Along with looking after they day-to-day functioning of Digital Camera World in Australia, Sharmishta is the Managing Editor (APAC) for TechRadar as well. Her passion for photography started when she was studying monkeys in the wilds of India and is entirely self-taught. That puts her in the unique position to understand what a beginner or enthusiast is looking for in a camera or lens, and writes to help those like her on their path to developing their skills or finding the best gear. While she experiments with quite a few genres of photography, her main area of interest is nature – wildlife, landscapes and macros.

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