World Press Photo, the most important global exhibition of photojournalism, showcased in Bucharest

The 67th edition of the annual World Press Photo international exhibition can be visited from May 18th to June 7th in Bucharest, at University Square. Brought to Romania for 13 consecutive years by the Eidos Foundation, the exhibition will be open to the general public for 21 days.

Cristian Movilă, the founder of the Eidos foundation and the representative of World Press Photo in Romania, stated that “2024 will bring approximately 49% of the world’s population to the polls. It is the year when 64 countries (plus the European Union) will choose their future. Of course, not all countries ensure a democratic voting process, but the results will say a lot about the world we live in. So, this year’s exhibition is even more important than in other years. Besides making us aware of issues around the world, it can also serve as a window that puts the viewer in the shoes of citizens living their lives under various political regimes, armed conflicts, or natural disasters. Going through the exhibition can be a very good preview of how we want our future to look.”

The 146 photographs highlight stories about the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, climate change, migration, family and mental health, demonstrating the importance of photojournalism worldwide. The exhibition will also be accompanied by a free audio tour, created in partnership with the Smartify app, through which visitors can listen to the story of each winning photograph on their own devices.

“In the current period we are going through, with so many opportunities for artistic expression, both offline and online, journalism must truly be the ‘fourth estate’ in the state. It is the responsibility of each of us to ensure that there is freedom of expression, free and quality journalism, that emphasis is placed on the editorial product and editorial teams are supported. Photojournalism is the strong expression at the intersection of art and journalism, and World Press Photo recognizes the most impactful images of the year. We are proud to be partners of the Eidos Foundation again this year. We invite you to go see the most important global exhibition of photojournalism. The World Press Photo photographs will be visible to hundreds of thousands of people passing through University Square during this period. Let us therefore remember the importance of press freedom and celebrate together the most beautiful photographs of 2024,” said Laura Mihăila, Director of Marketing, Communication & CX Raiffeisen Bank Romania.

The World Press Photo competition recognizes quality photojournalism and awards images and stories from around the world. The four global winners were selected from 24 regional winners, chosen from the judging of 61,062 entries submitted by 3,851 photographers from 130 countries.

The 4 global winners are:

• Photograph of the Year Award: A Palestinian Woman Embraces the Body of Her Niece, Mohammed Salem, Palestine, Reuters
• Article of the Year Award: Valim-babena, Lee-Ann Olwage, South Africa, for GEO
• Long-Term Projects Award: The Two Walls, Alejandro Cegarra, Venezuela, The New York Times/Bloomberg
• Free Format Project Award: War Is Personal, Julia Kochetova, Ukraine.

The World Press Photo exhibition is brought to Romania by the Eidos Foundation, funded by the Ministry of Culture and organized within the “Open Streets – Bucharest, Urban Promenade” program, a project of the Bucharest City Hall, through the Directorate of Culture, Education, Tourism, along with ARCUB – the Cultural Center of Bucharest Municipality and PROEDUS – the Center for Educational and Sports Projects of Bucharest Municipality, as zonal operators.