April 04, 2014

An impressive cross-section of the world’s most dynamic and outstanding photojournalism will be up at Drexel University's Leonard Pearlstein Gallery in an exhibition of award-winning photos from the 57th annual World Press Photo competition—the world's largest and most prestigious annual international press photography contest. 143 photographs will be on display from April 30 at 6 pm to May 21. The Pearlstein Gallery is located in the URBN Center Annex (3401 Filbert St.) and is free and open to the public. The 2014 World Press Photo exhibition is supported by the Kal and Lucille Rudman Institute for Entertainment Industry Studies and the Good Idea Fund. Both the Pearlstein Gallery and the Rudman Institute are housed within the Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design.

In February, an international jury judged 98,671 images submitted by 5,754 photographers from 132 countries. Judges granted first, second, and third place awards to 53 photographers for both story pictures (a series of images) and single photos in nine different categories. These ranged from Contemporary Issues to Staged Portraits, Daily Life, News and Nature. The most prestigious prize, World Press Photo of the Year, was awarded to John Stanmeyer, on assignment for National Geographic. In his photo, “Signal,” African migrants on the shore of Djibouti City raise their phones at night in an attempt to catch an inexpensive signal from neighboring Somalia— seeking a tenuous link to relatives abroad.

The Pearlstein Gallery will hold a press conference on April 30 at 2:30 pm, with remarks from 2014 jury chairman and award-winning photojournalist Gary Knight; Boston Globe photographer John Tlumacki, whose gripping photo of the Boston Marathon bombing was a 2014 World Press winner in the “Spot News” category; and Anne Schaepman, World Press Photo project manager.

The World Press Photo Foundation, formed in the Netherlands in 1955, honors the highest quality work in photojournalism from around the world and supports the free exchange of information. By presenting the work of photojournalists to the public, World Press Photo and its collaborators increase awareness of realities from diverse corners of the globe and encourage communication across political and cultural barriers.

“The Rudman Institute often showcases how various visual media represent the critical issues of the day, so it seemed natural to bring the World Press Photo exhibition here and let students experience firsthand these compelling images of the year's most important events,” said Rudman Institute Director Karen Curry.

Chairman Knight, whose compelling photos were included in the Rudman Institute’s May 2013 exhibition, “Invasion: Diaries and Memories of War in Iraq,” considers the 57th contest to be the most “adventurous and convention-challenging World Press Photo competition to date.”

In addition to its 3-week stay and U.S. debut at the Pearlstein Gallery, the exhibition will visit 100 cities in 45 countries this year, including Amsterdam, Singapore, Milan, Hamburg, Vienna, Santiago, Toronto, and many others.World Press Photo receives support from the Dutch Postcode Lottery and is sponsored worldwide by Canon.