image source, Amber Bracken para The New York Times/WPP
Caption,
“Kamloops Residential School” by Amber Bracken (World Press Photo of the Year).
The photograph that heads this gallery was taken by the Canadian photojournalist Amber Bracken and has just received the main prize of the World Press Photo 2022, the most important international documentary photography contest.
Entitled “Kamloops Residential School,” the image Bracken took for The New York Times shows a row of dresses hanging on crosses along a path to commemorate dozens of minors who died at a Catholic institution for indigenous children. in British Columbia, Canada.
The photo was taken in June 2021, following the discovery of up to 215 unmarked graves on the site of the former school, which closed in 1978.
“It’s an image that is recorded in your memorywhich inspires a kind of sensory reaction,” said jury president Rena Effendi.
“I can almost hear the calm in this photograph; a quiet moment of global reckoning for the history of colonization, not just in Canada but around the world,” added the photographer.
Bracken’s photo also won the Singles award in the North and Central America regional category.
This image of an elder from the Na Savi people, taken on Cerro Garza, Mexico, was one of the winners.
The World Press Photo contest recognizes the best photojournalism and documentary photography.
This year’s winners were chosen from among 64.823 images taken by 4,066 photographers from 130 countries.
Matthew Abbott was named the winner of the World Press Photo Story of the Year category, with his series “Saving forests with fire”made for National Geographic and Panos Pictures.
image source, Matthew Abbott para National Geographic/WPP
Caption,
Conrad Maralngurra burns grass to protect the Mamadawerre community from “bush fires” in Mamadawerre, Australia, on May 3, 2021.
The photos show indigenous Australians strategically burning the land so that the fires move slowly and burn only the brush, removing the fuel buildup that fuels the largest flames.
The series featured Nawarddeken people from a region of Australia called Arnhem Land, who have carried out the practice for tens of thousands of years.
image source, Lalo de Almeida for Folha de São Paulo/WPP
Caption,
An aerial view of the construction of the Belo Monte dam on the Xingu river, Altamira, Pará, Brazil, on September 3, 2013.
The photos, taken for Folha de São Paulo and Panos Pictures, show the threat to the Amazon rainforest from deforestation, mining, infrastructure development and the exploitation of natural resources under the mandate of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
“This project portrays something that not only has negative effects on the local community, but also on a global level, as it triggers a chain reaction,” said Effendi.
image source, Lalo de Almeida for Folha de São Paulo/WPP
Caption,
Members of the Mundurukú community line up to board a plane at the Altamira airport in Pará, Brazil, on June 14, 2013.
“blood is a seed“by Isadora Romerowas awarded the Open Format award.
Through personal stories and a trip to the ancestral town of Romero, Une, in Cundinamarca, Colombiathe project questions the disappearance of seeds, forced migration, colonization and the consequent loss of ancestral knowledge.
Police officers arrest a man while his wife and family resist, during the evictions of people from the San Isidro settlement, in Puerto Caldas, Risaralda, Colombia, on March 6, 2021.
South America, Stories: “The Promise,” by Irina Werning, Argentina, for the Pulitzer Center
image source, Irina Werning taken for Pulitzer Center
Caption,
Antonella studies through Zoom, using her mother’s cell phone, in her room at her home in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on June 13, 2021. She promised to cut her hair only when she might resume face-to-face classes, suspended due to of the pandemic.
North and Central America, Open Format: “The Flower of Time. Red Mountain of Guerrero”, by Yael Martínez for Magnum Photos
image source, Yael Martínez for Magnum Photos/WPP
Caption,
The Na Savi people greatly respect their elders because they contain wisdom and a connection to “mother earth”. Every December 31, communities climb Cerro de la Garza, Mexico, to perform rituals that commemorate the end and beginning of a cycle.
North and Central America, Stories: “The People Who Nurture America,” by Ismail Ferdous, Bangladesh, for Agence VU’
image source, Ismail Ferdous taken for Agence VU ‘
Caption,
Sandra Sibert sits with her husband, James, in the room where she was isolated with COVID-19, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, U.S., on September 7, 2020.
Africa, Individuals: “Protests in Sudan”, by Faiz Abubakr Mohamed
image source, Faiz Abubakr Mohamed/WPP
Caption,
A protester throws away a tear gas canister fired by security forces during a march demanding an end to military rule, in Khartoum, Sudan, on December 30, 2021.
Africa, Stories: “Afraid to go to school”, by Sodiq Adelakun Adekola, Nigeria, for Agence France-Presse
image source, Sodiq Adelakun Adekola for AFP / WPP
Caption,
Aminah Labaran (not her real name) cries at her home in Jangebe, Zamfara state, northwestern Nigeria, on February 27, 2021, one day following her two daughters were kidnapped.
Asia, Individuals: “Palestinian Children in Gaza”, by Fatima Shbair, Gaza, for Getty Images
image source, Fatima Shbair para Getty Images/WPP
Caption,
Palestinian children gather by candlelight during a ceasefire in Beit Lahia, Gaza, on May 25, 2021.
Asia, Stories: “Kabul Cinema,” by Bram Janssen, The Netherlands, for Associated Press
image source, Bram Janssen para AP/WPP
Caption,
Gul Mohammed, who works as an usher at the Ariana cinema in Kabul, Afghanistan, poses for a photo on November 4, 2021, nearly three months following the Taliban closed the cinema.
Europe, Singles: “Forest Fire on Evia Island,” by Konstantinos Tsakalidis, Greece, for Bloomberg News
image source, Konstantinos Tsakalidis for Bloomberg News / WPP
Caption,
Panayiota Kritsiopi is heartbroken as a forest fire approaches her home in the village of Gouves, on the island of Evia, Greece, on August 8, 2021.
Europe, Stories: “As the Frozen Land Burns,” by Nanna Heitmann, Russia/Germany, for Magnum Photos
image source, Nanna Heitmann for Magnum Photos / WPP
Caption,
Local firefighting volunteers take a lunch break in Magaras, central Sakha, Siberia, Russia, on July 1, 2021.
Europe, Honorable Mention: “M+T”, by Mary Gelman
image source, Mary Gelman/WPP
Caption,
This is an intimate story regarding the love of a couple, Minya and Tatyana, 50 years old, with Down syndrome, in Svetlana, St. Petersburg, Russia, a center that houses people with various mental differences.
Southeast Asia and Oceania, Singles: “Slingshot”, Anonymous, for The New York Times
image source, New York Times/WPP
Caption,
Protesters use slingshots and other homemade weapons in a clash with security forces in Rangoon, Myanmar.
Editor-in-Chief Prize-winning journalist with over 20 years of international news experience. Alexandra leads the editorial team, ensuring every story meets the highest standards of accuracy and journalistic integrity.
