Bangladesh double in World Press Photo

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While Bangladesh might be the minnows in test cricket. In the field of photography, Bangladesh has carved a space for itself. Former students of the prestigious Joop Swart Masterclass, GMB Akash, Andrew Biraj, Munem Wasif and Saiful Huq Omi are amongst the finest photographers around today. Abir Abdullah, a student of the first World Press Photo seminar series in 1998, was a member of the international jury this year.
The international jury of the premier contest World Press Photo,?is considered the UN of photojournalism.?Its accolades are coveted by photographers across the world. Shahidul Alam, who has been a juror on four occasions, is the only Asian to have chaired the international jury, ?Besides these Pathshala photographers, Shafiqul Alam Kiron, a photographer from the MAP agency has also been a winner in the past.
Andrew Biraj was also a winner (3rd Prize) in the Daily Life category this year, with the following image:

The results of the 54th annual World Press Photo Contest were announced during a press conference at the Boekmanzaal in the Amsterdam City Hall, Amstel. This year again a record number of photographs with 108,059 images were submitted by 5,847 photographers. The photographers represent 125 different nationalities.
The members of the jury were:
Chair
? David Burnett, USA, photojournalist and founding member Contact Press Images
Members
? Abir Abdullah, Bangladesh, photographer EPA and vice principal Pathshala South Asian Media Academy
? Vince Aletti, USA, freelance critic
? Koji Aoki, Japan, chief photographer Aflo sport / Aflo dite and president Aflo Co., Ltd.
? Peter Bialobreszki, Germany, artist
? Harry Borden, UK, photographer
? Giovanna Calvenzi, Italy, picture editor Sportweek / La Gazzetta dello Sport
? Marizilda Cruppe, Brazil, photographer O Globo / Eve Photographers
? Ruth Eichhorn, Germany, director of photography Geo
? Renata Ferri, Italy, photo editor Io Donna – Corriere Della Sera
? Heinz Kluetmeier, USA, photographer Sports Illustrated
? Mattias Klum, Sweden, photographer and filmmaker
? H?ric Libong, Cameroon, head of photo department Panapress
? Enric Mart?, Spain, regional editor AP for Latin America and Caribbean
? Wim Melis, The Netherlands, curator Noorderlicht
? Terence Pepper, UK, curator of photographs National Portrait Gallery
? Sujong Song, South Korea, independent curator and photo editor
? Sophie Stafford, UK, BBC Wildlife Magazine
? Aidan Sullivan, UK, vice president photo assignment Getty Images
Secretaries
? Daphn? Angl?s, France/USA, European picture coordinator The New York Times
? Stephen Mayes, UK, managing director VII Photo Agency
Former student Andrew Biraj, is currently a teacher at Pathshala The South Asian Media Academy

Author: Shahidul Alam

Time Magazine Person of the Year 2018. A photographer, writer, curator and activist, Shahidul Alam obtained a PhD in chemistry before switching to photography. His seminal work “The Struggle for Democracy” contributed to the removal of General Ershad. Former president of the Bangladesh Photographic Society, Alam set up the Drik agency, Chobi Mela festival and Pathshala, South Asian Media Institute, considered one of the finest schools of photography in the world. Shown in MOMA New York, Centre Georges Pompidou, Royal Albert Hall and Tate Modern, Alam has been guest curator of Whitechapel Gallery, Winterthur Gallery and Musee de Quai Branly. His awards include Mother Jones, Shilpakala Award and Lifetime Achievement Award at the Dali International Festival of Photography. Speaker at Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, Oxford and Cambridge universities, TEDx, POPTech and National Geographic, Alam chaired the international jury of the prestigious World Press Photo contest. Honorary Fellow of Royal Photographic Society, Alam is visiting professor of Sunderland University in UK and advisory board member of National Geographic Society. John Morris, the former picture editor of Life Magazine describes his book “My journey as a witness”, (listed in “Best Photo Books of 2011” by American Photo), as “The most important book ever written by a photographer.” View all posts by Shahidul Alam