News

Twelve young photographers have been selected to come together with a group of masters for the 16th annual World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass to be held from 31 October to 6 November 2009 in Foam Fotografiemuseum, Amsterdam.

The 12 participants were selected from among 179 candidates who had been nominated to submit their portfolios. During the masterclass meeting in November, the participant photographers will interact with six prominent experts, discussing technical, journalistic and ethical aspects of their work.

The 12 young photographers are:

• Kathryn Cook, USA
• Matt Eich, USA
• Simona Ghizzoni, Italy
• Sohrab Hura, India
• Benedicte Kurzen, France
• Don McNeill Healy, Ireland
• Mads Nissen, Denmark
• Kosuke Okahara, Japan
• Ali Akbar Shirjian, Iran
• Gihan Tubbeh, Peru
• Dirk-Jan Visser, The Netherlands
• Alvaro Ybarra Zavala, Spain

The participants were selected by an independent, international selection committee consisting of: Walter Astrada (Argentina), freelance photographer; Nan Goldin (USA), art and documentary photographer; Jan Grarup (Denmark), photographer for Noor; Santiago Lyon (USA), director of photography at The Associated Press; Jenny Smets (The Netherlands), photo editor of Vrij Nederland; Anne Tucker (USA), curator of photography at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

In preparation for the meeting, the participants will have to execute a photo essay on one single theme which, for this year, is ‘Touch’. The essays will then be discussed at length during sessions with the masters and edited into a publication.

The Joop Swart Masterclass has been organised by World Press Photo every year since 1994. Its goal is to bring together some of the most experienced individuals in photojournalism with 12 young, promising photographers so that they can share and pass on their knowledge and experience. Since the beginning of the programme a total of 176 young photographers have participated and many of them have moved on to establish themselves as today’s leading photojournalists.

The Joop Swart Masterclass is supported by the Delta Lloyd Group, Stichting Democratie en Media and Canon, who provides all participants with a grant. World Press Photo receives support from the Dutch Postcode Lottery and is sponsored worldwide by Canon and TNT.