Ukrainian wins World Press Photo 2023; Exhibit opens in Amsterdam this week

Ukrainian journalist Evgeniy Maloletka won the World Press Photo of the Year award with his photo of aid workers carrying an unconscious pregnant woman from a maternity hospital hit by a Russian airstrike during the siege of Mariupol. His photo, and the work of the other winners, will be shown at the annual World Press Photo exhibition opening in Amsterdam on Saturday.

The jury unanimously chose the “haunting image” from the siege of Mariupol on the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, global jury chair Brent Lewis said. “The jury mentioned the power of the image and the story behind it, as well as the atrocities it shows. The death of both the pregnant woman and her child summarized so much of the war, as well as the possible intent of Russia. As one juror put it: ‘It’s like they are trying to kill the future of Ukraine.’”

The Story of the Year award went to Mads Nissen’s nine photos showing life in Afghanistan under the Taliban and with no international aid. The story is titled “The Price of Peace in Afghanistan.”

Anush Babajanyan won the Long-Term Project Award for her work “Battered Waters,” documenting the water management impacts in Central Asia made worse by the climate crisis. According to the jury, the work shows the “powerful spirit of people forced to adapt to new realities.”

And Mohamed Mahdy won the Open Format Ward for his work to preserve the memory of a fast-disappearing fishing village in Alexandria, Egypt. Mahdy worked with locals on the project titled “Here, the Doors Don’t Know Me.”

According to World Press Photo Foundation director Joumana El Zein Khoury, millions of people worldwide will see these photos of death, despair, loss, and crisis. “My wish is that they also see what I see. The hope that through documentation there is a chance of justice and a better future, through remembering we honor what is lost, and through the courage and dedication of these photographers we are inspired.”

These stories, alongside the other 20 winners, will be shown in the annual World Press Photo Exhibition in over 60 cities worldwide, starting in Amsterdam on April 22. The winners will also attend a program of events in Amsterdam from May 9 to 13.