Please see this updated statement (as of 1 April 2025)
Below please find our original statement on this topic, which we leave here for transparency.
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We are taking complaints about the journalistic professionalism and independence of Mikhail Tereshchenko seriously, and will review them following the process outlined in our procedures. Until this review is complete, we stand by the jury’s decision to award his project, Protests in Georgia, and encourage everyone to view this work for themselves.
The authenticity of the photographs themselves, and the events they document are not in question. Wherever we share these photographs we also ensure they have accurate and truthful captions - thanks to our team of writers, researchers, and fact checkers.
We have total respect for the journalists who are documenting Russia’s war on Ukraine and protests in Georgia for the world to see, often doing so with great risks and difficulties.
Does World Press Photo agree with his use of the phrase, “liberation of Mariupol”, in an interview on 27 March 2025, to describe the Russian forces occupation of that city?
No, we do not.
- Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, on 24 February 2022.
- Russian bombardment devastated Mariupol, and included civilian targets such as a maternity hospital and a theater where people were sheltering.
- Mariupol remains under Russian occupation.
- The city is important to the Russian government as part of a land bridge between the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) and Crimea, which Russia had illegally annexed in 2014.
While the Russian government and TASS have disputed some of these statements, we consider them simple facts.
As always, we are not responsible for statements by winning photographers, or how their work is used by news agencies. We take full responsibility for how the winning projects are shared with the world through our channels.
Why did the jury award Protests in Georgia?
The jury felt this was an important global story documenting mass anti-government protests in Georgia set against the backdrop of contested elections, escalating tensions between pro-Russian and pro-EU politicians, and the reintroduction of the 'foreign agents' draft bill. Noting that the nighttime images highlight the use of fireworks as a new urban weapon and capture the dynamics of mass protests, raising questions about how democratic movements worldwide respond to increasingly militarized police forces.
Why does World Press Photo allow entrants from Russia? Why are photographers working for state media allowed to enter?
We do not exclude photographers from any country.
While recognizing the realities of state propaganda, we believe even photographers working in places with little press freedom can create meaningful work. We also believe in supporting photojournalists and documentary photographers living and working in places with limited press freedoms. This is a challenge in too many countries, including Russia.
We trust the independent jury, and our rigorous judging processes, to ensure both the visual and journalistic quality of all winning entries is world-class.
Why did World Press Photo not inform the jury that the photographer works for TASS?
The independent jury judges entries anonymously – without names of photographers or outlets they work for. The principle is that the jury is judging the entry, not the person or agency they work for.
We apply our rules evenly across all entries, without exception.
What is the review process and what happens next?
A post-award review panel will be convened, comprising four members - the executive director of the World Press Photo Foundation, the chair of the global jury, the chair of the regional jury the award was won in, and a lawyer specialized in the field of the allegation to review the case.
This panel will examine if the entry has broken one or more of the entry rules, or contravened the code of ethics, or if the entrant has allegedly engaged in discrimination or harassment.
This panel can decide to disqualify the award, or make recommendations (such as to review the relevant rules for future contests).
Are there any other Russian winners this year?
Aliona Kardash was born in Siberia, and is now based in Germany. The global jury said
about her project, “The photographer explores the tension between family and state propaganda, pondering a universal dilemma of how to relate to loved ones subsumed by state influence.”
