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The international jury of the 53rd annual World Press Photo Contest has selected a photograph by Italian freelance photographer Pietro Masturzo as the World Press Photo of the Year 2009 from a record total entry of over 101,000 photographs. The picture depicts women shouting in protest from a rooftop in Tehran on 24 June 2009. The winning photograph is part of a story depicting the nights following the contested presidential elections in Iran, when people shouted their dissent from roofs and balconies, after daytime protests in the streets. The story as a whole was awarded first prize in the category People in the News.

The World Press Photo Contest jury chair Ayperi Karabuda Ecer said: "The photo shows the beginning of something, the beginning of a huge story. It adds perspectives to news. It touches you both visually and emotionally, and my heart went out to it immediately."

Fellow juror Guy Tillim commented: "The difficulty in photographing conflict situations is one of portraying the parallel lives involved, of people going on with their lives. This picture has made a very good attempt at marrying these two elements, in giving the conflict a context – and that is a holy grail of photography. The photographer does it with a very beautiful image of an Iranian landscape, which would be worth looking at in itself. But it also arouses our curiosity about the woman shouting – incorporating this moment, the importance of this historical event. It represents a very honest and successful attempt at taking forward our vocabulary of showing things."

The jury gave prizes in 10 themed categories to 63 photographers of 23 nationalities from: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Ecuador, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Mali, Mexico, the Netherlands, Palestinian Territories, Peru, Somalia, Sweden, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States.

During the two weeks of judging the jury viewed a record number of photographs with 101,960 images submitted by 5,847 photographers. The photographers represent 128 different nationalities. Entries by photographers from Asia continued to increase steadily, with the majority of entries coming from China with 586 submissions (compared to 2009:490 submissions) and Indonesia with 107 submissions (2009: 77). Africa also had a higher number of entries, with a 7.5% increase. European photographers were well represented, with a significant increase from photographers from Italy with 370 entries (2009: 306) and Russia with 156 entries (2009: 130).

Jury names a 'Special Mention'

Following the judging of the contest, the jury decided to name a 'Special Mention', recognising a frame grab from a video posted on YouTube in June 2009 during the post-election uprising in Iran. It depicts a woman identified as Neda Agha-Soltan lying on the ground after being shot in the chest. The jury considers an image for a Special Mention when it has played an essential role in the news reporting of the year worldwide and could not have been made by a professional photographer.

Jury member David Griffin of National Geographic commented: "I am pleased that World Press Photo has provided an avenue for non-professional images that have a significant impact on the historical visual record."

Pietro Masturzo, the author of the World Press Photo of the Year 2009, will receive his award during an awards ceremony in Amsterdam on 2 May 2010. The award also carries a cash prize of €10,000 and key World Press Photo sponsor Canon will donate a Canon EOS DSLR camera and lens kit to Pietro Masturzo.

The awards ceremony will be preceded by a two-day programme of lectures, discussions and screenings of the winning photography from the 2009 contest. The exhibition of prize-winning photography will be shown at the Oude Kerk, Amsterdam, from 23 April to 20 June 2010 and will subsequently visit over 100 locations around the world. For a provisional exhibition schedule visit: www.worldpressphoto.org/exhibitions.

World Press Photo receives support from the Dutch Postcode Lottery and is sponsored worldwide by Canon and TNT.

© Charles Ommanney, United Kingdom, Getty Images for Newsweek

Inauguration Day, Washington DC, 20 January.

World Press Photo Contest 2009 - full list of winners

WORLD PRESS PHOTO OF THE YEAR 2009
Pietro Masturzo, Italy
Women shouting on a rooftop in protest to the presidential election results, Tehran, Iran, 24 June.

SPOT NEWS SINGLES

1. Adam Ferguson, Australia, VII Mentor Program for The New York Times
   Afghan woman rushed from the scene of a suicide bombing, Kabul, 15 December.
2. Mohammed Salem, Palestinian Territories, Reuters
   Smoke rises during Israel’s offensive in Gaza, 8 January.
3. Julie Jacobson, USA, The Associated Press
   Fatally wounded Lance Cpl. Joshua Bernard is tended to by fellow US Marines, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, 14 August.
   Honorable mention:
   Robin Utrecht, the Netherlands, ANP
   Car drives into crowd of onlookers during Queen’s Day celebrations, Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, 30 April.

SPOT NEWS STORIES

1. Walter Astrada, Argentina, Agence France-Presse
   Bloodbath in Madagascar, February.
2. Olivier Laban-Mattei, France, Agence France-Presse
   Post-election protests in Tehran, 13-15 June.
3. Mohamed Abed, Palestinian Territories, Agence France-Presse
   Attack on Gaza Strip, January.

GENERAL NEWS SINGLES

1. Kent Klich, Sweden
   Gaza photo album: Tuzzah, Gaza Strip, 3 March.
2. Carlos Villalon, Chile, Redux Pictures
   Medellin’s drug gangs: youngster lies dead in the street, Colombia, 27 September.
3. Rina Castelnuovo, Israel, for The New York Times
   Jewish settler throws wine at Palestinian woman, Hebron, West Bank, 10 March.

GENERAL NEWS STORIES

1. Marco Vernaschi, Italy, for Pulitzer Center
   Guinea Bissau.
2. Farah Abdi Warsameh, Somalia, The Associated Press
   Stoned to death, Somalia, 13 December.
3. Meiko Herrmann, Germany
   Gaza, landscape of destruction, January.

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS SINGLES

1. Michele Borzoni, Italy, TerraProject
   Riots in Srinagar, Kashmir.
2. David Guttenfelder, USA, The Associated Press
   US soldiers respond to Taliban fire outside their bunker, Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, 11 May.
3. Justin McManus, Australia, The Age
   Australian bushfires: Jennifer Woods discovers her street reduced to ruins, 8 February.

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS STORIES

1. Pietro Masturzo, Italy
   From the rooftops of Tehran, June.
2. Charles Ommanney, United Kingdom, Getty Images for Newsweek
   Inauguration Day, Washington DC, 20 January.
3. David Chancellor, United Kingdom, ShapeShifters
   Villagers discover fallen elephant, Zimbabwe.

SPORTS ACTION SINGLES

1. Gareth Copley, United Kingdom, Press Association
   England’s Jonathan Trott is run out at the fifth Ashes test match, London, 20 August.
2. Pat Murphy, Ireland, Sportsfile
   Jockey James Carroll and his horse Lord Time fall at Steeplechase, Co. Kildare, Ireland, 28 April.
3. Daniel Kfouri, Brazil
   Megaramp, Sao Paulo.

SPORTS ACTION STORIES

1. Donald Miralle, Jr., USA
   Ironman World Championships, Hawaii.
2. Craig Golding, Australia
   World Masters Games, Sydney.
3. Magnus Wennman, Sweden, Aftonbladet
   Stockholm Mean Machines.

SPORTS FEATURES SINGLES

1. Robert Gauthier, USA, Los Angeles Times Magazine
   Yankee fans try to distract Angels left fielder Juan Rivera, Yankee Stadium, 25 October.
2. Mark Holtzman, USA, for Sports Illustrated
   US Air Force stealth bomber flies over the Rose Bowl, Pasadena, 1 January.
3. Robert Beck, USA, for Sports Illustrated
   Tiger Woods flips clubs with his caddy Steve Williams, Arizona.

SPORTS FEATURES STORIES

1. Elizabeth Kreutz, USA
   Lance Armstrong’s comeback.
2. Denis Rouvre, France
   Senegalese wrestlers.
3. Stepan Rudik, Ukraine, for RIA Novosti
   Street fighting, Kiev, Ukraine.

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES SINGLES

1. Pierre-Olivier Deschamps, France, Agence Vu
   France Residence: Avenue des Champs Elysées, Paris.
2. Stefano De Luigi, Italy, VII Network for Le Monde Magazine
   Giraffe killed by drought, northeast Kenya, September.
3. Zed Nelson, United Kingdom, Panos Pictures
   Love Me: Christopher (22) gets his chest waxed in a New York salon.
   Honorable mention:
   Guillermo Arias, Mexico, The Associated Press
   Body of an alleged drug dealer, Tijuana, Mexico, 6 September.

CONTEMPORARY ISSUES STORIES

1. Eugene Richards, USA, Reportage by Getty Images for The Sunday Times
   Magazine/Paris Match
   War Is Personal, USA.
2. Alessandro Imbriaco, Italy, Contrasto
   Casilino 900 camp, Italy.
3. Tommaso Ausili, Italy, SIME
   Slaughterhouse, Italy.
   Honorable mention:
   Ou Zhihang, China
   The Moment.

DAILY LIFE SINGLES

1. Michael Wolf, Germany, Laif
   Tokyo subway.
2. Joan Bardeletti, France
   Sunday picnic, Mozambique.
3. Luca Santese, Italy, Cesuralab
   Maryen, single mother, Detroit.

DAILY LIFE STORIES

1. Gihan Tubbeh, Peru
   Adrian, 13-year old autist.
2. Matt McClain, USA, for People
   Finding Their Way, Colorado.
3. Simon Roberts, United Kingdom
   We English: England at Play.
   Honorable mention:
   Pieter Ten Hoopen, the Netherlands, Agence Vu
   Hungry Horse, Montana.

PORTRAITS SINGLES

1. Laura Pannack, United Kingdom, Lisa Pritchard Agency for The Guardian
   Weekend magazine
   Graham, anorexic teenager.
2. Pieter Ten Hoopen, the Netherlands, Agence Vu
   Katie, Hungry Horse, Montana.
3. Jérôme Bonnet, France, for Libération
   Monsieur Dendoune, father of the family.

PORTRAITS STORIES

1. Roderik Henderson, the Netherlands
   In the car.
2. Annie van Gemert, the Netherlands
   Boys and girls.
3. Willeke Duijvekam, the Netherlands, Unit
   Eva, transgender teenager.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT SINGLES

1. Malick Sidibé, Mali, for The New York Times Magazine
   Fashion portfolio: Prints and the Revolution, Mali.
2. JR, France, Agence Vu
   Women are Heroes, Kibera slum, Kenya.
3. Kees van de Veen, the Netherlands, Dagblad van het Noorden
   Artist Guler Lacht takes portraits of art festival visitors, the Netherlands.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT STORIES

1. Kitra Cahana, Canada, Fabrica for Colors
   Rainbowland, New Mexico.
2. Francesco Giusti, Italy
   Société des Ambianceurs et Personnes Élégantes, Congo Brazzaville.
3. Karla Gachet, Ecuador, Aurora Photos
   Ceci, 20-year old tango dancer, Buenos Aires.

NATURE SINGLES

1. Joe Petersburger, Hungary, National Geographic
   Hunting kingfisher, Hungary.
2. Nick Cobbing, United Kingdom, Eyevine for Greenpeace International
   Glaciologists paddle down glacier, Greenland.
3. Paolo Patrizi, Italy, Kaze no Tabibito
   Starling flock, Italy.

NATURE STORIES

1. Paul Nicklen, Canada, National Geographic
   South Georgia, Antarctica.
2. Peter Bialobrzeski, Germany, Laif
   Urban jungles.
3. Fang Qianhua, China, Southern Metropolis Daily
   Contaminated oranges, China.

The members of the 2010 jury were:

• Chair: Ayperi Karabuda Ecer, Sweden/Turkey, vice president pictures Reuters
• Members:
  • Harry Borden, UK, photographer
  • Saurabh Das, India, photographer The Associated Press
  • Kate Edwards, UK, picture editor Guardian Weekend Magazine
  • Bill Frakes, USA, photographer Sports Illustrated
  • David Griffin, USA, director of photography National Geographic magazine
  • Hideko Kataoka, Japan, director of photography Newsweek, Japan
  • Guy Tillim, South Africa, photographer
  • Stephan Vanfleteren, Belgium, photographer
• Secretaries:
  • Daphné Anglès, France/USA, European picture co-ordinator The New York Times
  • Stephen Mayes, UK, managing director VII Photo Agency

For the 2010 contest specialist juries took part in the initial rounds of judging for the categories of Sports, Nature and Portraits. The members of the specialist juries were:

• Sports:
  • Bill Frakes, USA, photographer Sports Illustrated
  • Giovanna Calvenzi, Italy, picture editor Sportweek/La Gazetta dello Sport
  • Adam Pretty, Australia, photographer Getty Images
• Nature:
  • David Griffin, USA, director of photography National Geographic magazine
  • Magdalena Herrera, France/Cuba, director of photography Geo, France
  • Mattias Klum, Sweden, photographer and filmmaker
• Portraits:
  • Harry Borden, UK, photographer
  • Laurie Kratochvil, USA, photography consultant
  • Charlotte Cotton, UK, creative director National Media Museum, London
• News & documentary:
  • Ayperi Karabuda Ecer, Sweden/Turkey, vice president pictures Reuters
  • Volker Lensch, Germany, head of photo department Stern
  • Laura Serani, Italy, freelance curator
  • Marizilda Cruppe, Brazil, photographer O Globo/Eve Photographers
  • Yuri Kozyrev, Russia, photographer Noor