The Globe and Mail Published April 15, 2021 Updated April 15, 2021
World Press Photo’s annual contest recognizes and celebrates the best visual journalism produced over the past year. The winners consist of 45 photographers from 28 countries, documenting unprecedented world events, from the COVID-19 pandemic to social justice protests. Canadian photojournalist Chris Donovan wins in the category Sports story of the year for his photo essay on the Flint Jaguars basketball team in Michigan. The Photo Story of the Year was awarded to Italian documentary photographer Antonio Faccilongo, working for Getty Reportage, for a series titled “Habibi” about Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons who smuggle their semen out of detention facilities in the hopes of raising a family. World Press Photo of the Year was awarded to Danish photographer Mads Nissenan for his image symbolizing “love and compassion” of an 85-year-old Brazilian woman getting her first embrace in five months
Image of a pandemic-era hug named World Press Photo of the Year Mike Corder Bookmark Please log in to listen to this story. Also available in French and Mandarin. Log In Create Free Account
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Mads Nissen/ Politiken/ Panos Pictures/World Press
A photo symbolizing “love and compassion” of an 85-year-old Brazilian woman getting her first embrace in five months from a nurse through a transparent “hug curtain” was named the World Press Photo of the Year on Thursday.
The choice of a winning photo portraying the global pandemic was almost inevitable for the contest covering a year in which news around the globe was dominated by the virus that has killed nearly 3 million people, including more than 360,000 in hard-hit Brazil.
COVID hug wins World Press Photo of the Year
The World Press Photo Awards honor the best visual journalism worldwide. The past year was not only marked by the pandemic, but also the climate crisis and forgotten conflicts.
World Press Photo of the Year
Danish photographer Mads Nissen won in the category General News, singles, with his photo of an 85-year-old woman being embraced for the first time in months through a hug curtain by a nurse at the Viva Bem care home in Sao Paulo. It is a rare positive photo about the COVID-19 era, said the jury. Under President Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil is one of the countries most affected by the virus.
Coronavirus hug image named World Press Photo of the Year
By MIKE CORDERApril 15, 2021 GMT
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) A photo symbolizing “love and compassion” of an 85-year-old Brazilian woman getting her first embrace in five months from a nurse through a transparent “hug curtain” was named the World Press Photo of the Year on Thursday.
It was the second time the Danish photographer who shot the image has won the prestigious award.
The choice of a winning photo portraying the global pandemic was almost inevitable for the contest covering a year in which news around the globe was dominated by the virus that has killed nearly 3 million people, including more than 360,000 in hard-hit Brazil.
2021 Photo Contest and 2021 Digital Storytelling Contest headline winners announced
The World Press Photo Foundation is proud to present the winners of the World Press Photo of the Year, World Press Photo Story of the Year, World Press Photo Interactive of the Year, and World Press Photo Online Video of the Year.
The winners were announced at an online Awards Show on 15 April 2021 at 17:00 CEST. The category winners were announced on World Press Photo’s online channels on 15 April at 15:00 CEST.
“2020 was a difficult year, and today we recognize the visual storytellers that put their lives at risk to present us with important stories about our world. The stories and productions awarded today touched the jury because of the personal, human and hopeful angles that the visual storytellers gave to very difficult issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the Israel-Palestine conflict, and the Black Lives Matter protests following the murder of George Floyd,” said Joumana El Zein Kho