World Press Photo Exhibition 2015

Overview

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A motley collection of moments, the World Press Photo exhibition demonstrates the power of visual journalism to reflect the human condition. 2014's news translated into a potent collection of entries for the WPP jury. The Ebola epidemic. Conflicts in Gaza. Ukraine. Arab Spring. Increased rights awareness for the global LGBT community. Refugee controversy. Whether it be global headline events or intimate exchanges the world over, photographers capture the detail of these poignant moments in the world's largest photojournalism competition.

This year's winning entry is by Mads Nissen, a Danish photographer. Part of a larger body of work called Homophobia in Russia, the photo shows a gay couple from St Petersburg in an intimate moment. The photo reflects an increasingly difficult life for lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender people in Russia, a life filled with discrimination, hate-crime attacks and legal and social exclusion.

These difficult themes are echoed throughout the threads of the exhibition - contemporary issues, news stories, long-term projects, daily life and portraiture form a framework for the competition. Now in its 58th year, the contest allows photojournalists, professional press photographers and documentary photographers alike to showcase a body of work that promotes interest in photojournalism, an artform grounded in reality. Travelling to 45 countries and exhibiting to more than 2 million people, the show draws entries from over 5,600 photographers spanning 131 countries. The 97,000 images received have been narrowed down to a select few that distil the essence of human nature, in its many forms, exchanges and components.