Interview Directory 

ART

Name: Joumana El Zein Khoury

Occupation: Executive Director at World Press Photo Foundation

“The individual photographs selected by juries through the years also form a subjective, but thoughtful, record of the top events throughout our history.“

Does a photo really deserve to be the press photo of the year?

I would not say it is possible for any one photo, or even whole exhibition, to do justice to an entire year of news and events. The world is too full of important stories for that. It does work well as an award to bring attention to the importance of quality press and documentary photography, and to the individual awarded stories.

Each jury takes the selection of every winning entry extremely seriously. There are long and often passionate discussions. Sometimes even tears. However, when it comes to the Photo of the Year, there is often not so much discussion needed. The winner is usually chosen unanimously. The individual photographs selected by juries through the years also form a subjective, but thoughtful, record of the top events throughout our history.

How would you concisely describe the structure of a winning image?

Each winning image is judged according to three criteria:  Visual quality, story (its relevance or significance, and how it is covered), and representation (of stories and photographers). The first round of the judging focuses on visual quality. By the time the jury reaches the final round they are picking from the best of the best - considering each criteria carefully. 

©Alejandro Cegarra, World Press Photo

©Alejandro Cegarra, World Press Photo , North+and+Central+America_Long-Term+Projects_Alejandro+Cegarra_The+New+York+Times_Bloomberg

In your press release it says, "In today's world, images take centre stage. You have strict rules to exclude Al and manipulated images. How do you manage to verify this?

A multilayered approach to spotting fake or manipulated images is used. We verify the professionality of all entrants, and the facts behind each story. The images are judged by industry professionals, and the original files are examined by two independent digital analysts. (More information about our verification process.)

We also have a code of ethics that goes well beyond AI and manipulation. Viewers need to be able to trust that what they see is an authentic record of a moment in time. 

“When I started at World Press Photo the first thing I did was talk to as many people as I could.“

How did you come to introduce a regional rating in 2021?

When I started at World Press Photo the first thing I did was talk to as many people as I could. I spoke to over 300 individuals - including photographers, editors, curators, academics and other experts. There was a lot of appreciation for the work World Press Photo had been doing to diversify the pool of entrants, but it was also obvious that we were far from properly representing the world in our contest. The regional contest model has helped with this. 

The fact that regional juries have the first say in the judging, and bring their local knowledge into the process, improves the results greatly. We still have quite a distance to go of course. This is not something that is solved in only a few years.

What are the requirements for photographers?

The World Press Photo Contest is open to professional photographers working in the field of journalism and/or documentary photography. We are sensitive to the fact that professionalism, and the way the industry functions, differs around the world. So we have a number of different ways photographers can demonstrate that they meet this requirement. (link here)