American John Moore, Winner of Photo of the Year Prize
Swede Pieter Ten Hoopen, Winner of the New Story of the Year Prize
Thursday, April 11, 2019 — At an awards ceremony held in Amsterdam today, the World Press Photo international jury announced the name of the winner of its prestigious annual photojournalism contest for World Press Photo of the Year.
The 2019 grand prize goes to American John Moore for his photograph of a two-year-old girl crying as she and her mother, a Honduran migrant, are taken into custody in the United States. In June 2018, the family attempted to cross the border between Mexico and the US. This image was among the six best photos of the year—all nominees for the prestigious prize.
For his part, Swedish photographer Pieter Ten Hoopen of Agency Vu is the first winner of the new Story of the Year prize for his photo series documenting a caravan of Central American migrants as it travels to the US border.
The international exhibition will be presented at Bonsecours Market in Montreal, from August 28 to September 29, 2019
Often dubbed the Oscars of photojournalism, the World Press Photo is the most prestigious press photography contest on the planet. The 2019 edition of the World Press Photo Montreal exhibition will be presented at Bonsecours Market from August 28 to September 29. The flagship cultural event of Montreal’s fall season attracted a record-breaking 56,000 visitors last year during the exhibition’s 30-day run. In 2019, the prizewinning images are divided into eight categories: Spot News, General News, Contemporary Issues, People, Environment, Nature, Sports and Long-Term Projects.
About John Moore, 2019 World Press Photo of the Year winner
John Moore is an American photojournalist and special correspondent for Getty Images who is based in New York. Since 2010, he has travelled across the United States to bear witness to the effects of the recession on families and to highlight immigration-related issues, including the militarization of the American border. He took the photograph of two-year old Honduran toddler Yanela Sanchez, who rapidly became a symbol for the current migration policy.
The five other finalists for the 2019 Photo of the Year were: Mohammed Badra (European Pressphoto Agency) for his photo of a man and child receiving treatment after an attack in Syria; Marco Gualazzini (Independent) for his photo of an orphaned boy walking past a wall with drawings depicting grenade launchers, in Chad; Catalina Martin-Chico (Panos) for her photo of a woman pregnant after five consecutive terminated pregnancies during her FARC years, in Colombia; Chris McGrath (Getty Images) for his photo of an unidentified man, trying to hold back the press as Saudi investigators arrive at the Saudi Arabian Consulate, in Istanbul; Brent Stirton (Getty Images) for his photo of Petronella Chigumbura, member of an all-female anti-poaching unit called Akashinga, in Zimbabwe. These images are among those selected for the 2019 international exhibition.
Pieter Ten Hoopen: First winner of the new Story of the Year prize
The new Story of the Year prize was awarded to Swedish photographer Pieter Ten Hoopen of Agency Vu, for his series documenting a caravan of Central American migrants heading to the United States border. Pieter Ten Hoopen is also the founder of the company Civilian Act in Stockholm, Sweden.
Story of the Year, The Migrant Caravan. © Pieter Ten Hoopen (Agency Vu)
Having covered the aftermath of wars and many humanitarian crises since 2004, he has worked for longer periods in Afghanistan and Iraq, and was based in Kabul and Nairobi though his career. His work has been recognized through a number of prestigious awards, including photographer of the year in Sweden three times, as well as three World Press Photo prizes, in 2008, 2010 and 2019.
About the jury and photographs
The 2019 World Press Photo jury gathered in Amsterdam to assess over 78,000 images submitted by more than 4,700 photojournalists from 129 countries. It handed out first prizes to 43 photographers from 25 countries, in eight categories. The 2019 jury was chaired by Whitney C. Johnson, vice president, Visuals and Immersive Experiences at National Geographic.
About World Press Photo
Founded in 1955, World Press Photo is an independent, non-profit organization with its headquarters in Amsterdam. The foundation is committed to supporting and advancing high standards in photojournalism and documentary storytelling worldwide. During the year, the exhibition travels to 100 cities in over 45 countries and is seen by 4 million visitors. The World Press Photo receives support from the Dutch Postcode Lottery.
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