AMSTERDAM, April 18 (Reuters) – Reuters photographer Mohammed Salem won the prestigious 2024 World Press Photo of the Year award on Thursday for his image of a Palestinian woman cradling the body of her five-year-old niece in the Gaza Strip.
Salem’s winning image portrays Inas Abu Maamar, 36, sobbing while holding Saly’s sheet-clad body in the hospital morgue.
Announcing its annual awards, the Amsterdam-based World Press Photo Foundation said it was important to recognise the dangers facing journalists covering conflicts.
“The work of press and documentary photographers around the world is often done at high risk,” said Joumana El Zein Khoury, the organisation’s executive director.
It is important to recognise the trauma they have experienced to show the world the humanitarian impact of the war.”
Salem, a Palestinian aged 39, has worked for Reuters since 2003.
He also won an award in the 2010 World Press Photo competition.
GEO photographer Lee-Ann Olwage of South Africa won the story of the year category with images documenting dementia in Madagascar.
AMSTERDAM, April 18 (Reuters) – Mohammed Salem, a Reuters photographer, took home the esteemed 2024 World Press Photo of the Year award on Thursday for his photograph of a Gaza Strip resident holding her five-year-old niece’s lifeless body.
The photo was shot in October. 17, 2023, at the Nasser Medical Center in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, where relatives were looking for loved ones who had perished in the Israeli bombing of the Palestinian enclave.
The winning photo from Salem shows 36-year-old Inas Abu Maamar sobbing as she holds Saly’s sheet-covered body in the hospital morgue.
At a ceremony in Amsterdam, Reuters Global Editor for Pictures and Video Rickey Rogers said, “Mohammed received the news of his WPP award with humility, saying that this is not a photo to celebrate but that he appreciates its recognition and the opportunity to publish it to a wider audience.”.
As he stood in front of the picture at the Nieuwe Kerk in the Dutch capital, Rogers stated, “He hopes with this award that the world will become even more conscious of the human impact of war, especially on children.”.
The Amsterdam-based World Press Photo Foundation said during the announcement of its annual awards that it was critical to acknowledge the risks that reporters covering conflicts face.
According to the report, since the Palestinian militant group attacked southern Israel on October, 99 journalists and media personnel had died while covering the conflict between Israel and Hamas. 7 and Israel launched a military offensive in Gaza in retaliation.
“Press and documentary photographers around the world frequently work in dangerous conditions,” stated Joumana El Zein Khoury, the executive director of the organization.
“The number of journalists killed reached an almost all-time high this past year due to the deaths in Gaza. Acknowledging the trauma they have endured is crucial in demonstrating to the world the humanitarian effects of the war. ****.
39-year-old Palestinian Salem has been employed by Reuters since 2003. Additionally, he took home a prize from the 2010 World Press Photo contest.
Salem’s 2024 winning photo, according to the jury, was “composed with care and respect, offering at once a metaphorical and literal glimpse into unimaginable loss.”. “.
“I thought the photo captured the overall idea of what was going on in the Gaza Strip,” Salem stated upon the photo’s initial release in November.
I noticed this woman holding the little girl’s body and not letting go of it as people were confused, running around, and worried about what had happened to their loved ones. “.”.
“PROFOUNDLY AFFECTING”.
Days before Salem took the shot, his wife had given birth to their child.
Juror Fiona Shields, head of photography at Guardian News and Media, described the photo as “deeply moving.”.
From 61,062 entries submitted by 3,851 photographers from 130 countries, the jury chose the winning images.
With photos showing dementia in Madagascar, GEO photographer Lee-Ann Olwage of South Africa won the story of the year award.
Alejandro Cegarra of Venezuela took first place in the long-term projects category for The New York Times/Bloomberg’s “The Two Walls” series.
With her project “War is Personal,” Ukrainian photographer Julia Kochetova won the open format award. Her documentary-style project combined photography, poetry, music, and audio to document the war in her nation.
Timothy Heritage and Jon Boyle edited the reporting by Anthony Deutsch.
