NayanTara Gurung Kakshapati will chair the 2021 Photo Contest jury. Kakshapati is the co-founder of photo.circle and Nepal Picture Library, the co-founder and festival director of Photo Kathmandu, and a Joop Swart Masterclass 2020 mentor. Kakshapati will be joined by a group of professionals to judge the leading annual photojournalism contest.
“Being asked to join the 2021 World Press Photo Contest jury as chair feels like an invitation to take a seat at the table, to join vital conversations on the politics of creating visibility for human and non-human conditions and defining moments that the world needs to pay attention to, deliberate on and remember.” - NayanTara Gurung Kakshapati
Muyi Xiao will chair the 2021 Digital Storytelling Contest. Xiao is a reporter and video producer in The New York Times Visual Investigations team and the co-founder of Chinese Storytellers. She was a 2019 Digital Storytelling Contest jury member and previously worked for ChinaFile, Tencent News and Reuters, covering China from both inside and outside its borders. Xiao and 6 other professionals will reward the best digital storytelling productions of 2020.
“I feel honored and humbled to chair the 2021 World Press Photo Digital Storytelling Contest jury... This year is special and challenging for everyone, much has happened (and is still happening) and many of us have been directly impacted. I am sure the submitted work will also reflect the weight and uniqueness of the year, and I look forward to experiencing each and every piece.” - Muyi Xiao
Both the 2021 Digital Storytelling Contest and 2021 Photo Contest will open for submissions on 1 December 2020, 12.00 noon CET. Entering the contests is free and open to all professional visual journalists around the world. Visit the contest page for entry deadlines, rules and more information.
This year presents a first for the World Press Photo Foundation. Every year we look forward to welcoming industry professionals from all over the world to Amsterdam to judge the best of visual storytelling. Due to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, we will move the judging process online this year.
Anna Lena Mehr, director of contests at the World Press Photo Foundation says:
“Though the judging process will take a different format this year, the juries still have an important task ahead to reward and recognize the best visual journalism of 2020. We’re incredibly excited to welcome two very accomplished women to chair the 2021 Contests, and we look forward to their expertise and insights on important issues that visual storytellers are facing today."
The World Press Photo Foundation is campaigning to attract a more representative range of submissions to both contests, and in the coming weeks, will reach out to its network of past jury members, winners, partners and different organizations around the world in an attempt to further improve the diversity of the entrants.
"It is as fundamental as ever that we, World Press Photo, encourage a diversity of perspectives and to showcase stories offering a more comprehensive representation of our world. Connecting the world to the stories that matter is at the heart of what we do, and it is important for us to improve representation from underrepresented regions in our contests,” says Anna Lena Mehr.
As part of the 2021 Contests outreach campaign, World Press Photo and Market Photo Workshop will present an exhibition and public programming initiative from 21 November to 13 December 2020. Pan-African Photojournalism and Its Positions will showcase the work of the 2020 World Press Photo Contest winners, and bring award-winning visual journalists and emerging photographers into a critical conversation about the future of visual storytelling within journalism in Africa, through an online public program of workshops, panel discussions, and presentations. Learn more.
Photo credits:
Sagar Chhetri
Miles Goscha
