Enlarge image
Remembering the children who died at Kamloops Residential School in Canada: Press Photo of the Year by Amber Bracken
Photo: Amber Bracken / Amber Bracken / World Press Photo
The main prize for the best press photo of the year goes to the Canadian photographer Amber Bracken - that was decided by the jury of the renowned World Press Photo Award.
Her picture for the »New York Times« shows red dresses on crosses placed on the side of the road.
They commemorate children who lost their lives at Kamloops Indian Residential School.
The remains of 215 children were found on the grounds of the Catholic boarding school last year.
Schools like the Kamloops Indian Residential School in Canada were used to assimilate indigenous children, many students report abuse, and some died.
"It's an image that burns into your memory," said the jury.
The photo conveys a "silent moment of global reckoning with the history of colonization."
Matthew Abbott's photo spread entitled »Saving Forests with Fire« won the Best Photo Story of the Year at the World Press Photo Awards, which honor outstanding press photography each year.
The photos show Aboriginal people setting fires to prevent widespread fire damage in their area.
The conflict between humans and the environment also played a central role in the award for the best long-term project: In his photo series "Amazonian Dystopia" (Amazon Dystopia), the Brazilian photographer Lalo de Almeida shows the threat to the rainforest from deforestation and mining.
The project describes something that "not only has an impact on the local community," according to the jury, "but also on a global level".
Isadora Romero's video »Blood is a Seed« was recognized as the best open format worldwide.
The Ecuadorian deals with colonization and her personal roots.
The World Press Photo Award is one of the most prestigious awards for press photographers.
This year, the prize is endowed with 5,000 euros per winner, the deadline for entries was before the outbreak of war in the Ukraine.
In 2022, the selection was also based on a new concept: According to the organizers, the number of entries was unequally distributed across the continents.
Only a few photos came from South America, Southeast Asia and Africa.
This year, the organization therefore switched to a regional model: In a first round, four winners were awarded in the different categories for six world regions - divided into Africa, Asia, Europe, North and Central America, South America as well as Southeast Asia and Oceania.
In a second round, the jury selected the global award winners from the 24 regional winners.
ime