Evgeniy Maloletka's photo from Mariupol wins World Press Photo 2023
Ukrainian photographer Evgeniy Maloletka has won the most prestigious award for photojournalists: World Press Photo 2023. The jury recognised his photo from a maternity hospital in Mariupol bombed by Russians as the Photo of the Year.
Source: website of World Press Photo
Details: Earlier, a series of Malolotka's photographs from Mariupol besieged by Russian occupiers were included in the list of World Press Photo 2023 winners in the Europe category.
"The jury felt that this image captures the absurdity and horror of war. It is an accurate representation of the year's events and evidence of the war crimes being committed against Ukrainian civilians by Russian forces. The image rises as a deeply painful historical fact and highlights the murder of future generations of Ukrainians. By giving the image a platform, the jury hopes that the world will stop and acknowledge the intolerable realities of this war and consider the future of Ukraine," the organisers commented on the winning photo by Maloletka.
In total, this year's 66th annual World Press Photo contest received 60,448 photos from 3,752 photographers. Thirty photographers won regional awards and received honourable mentions. Today, the organisers announced the four global winners of World Press Photo 2023.
In addition to Maloletka, the winners of World Press Photo 2023 are:
Story of the Year: Mads Nissen with a series of photographs "The Price of Peace in Afghanistan".
Long-term project: Anush Babajanyan with a series on water supply in Central Asia.
Open format: Mohamed Mahdi with a web project exploring how sea level rise affects the Egyptian fishing village of Al-Max.
In December 2022, Evgeniy Maloletka was named The Guardian's Photographer of the Year. He was documenting events in Kazakhstan before the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, but came back home in January due to the growing threat of a full-scale war. At first, he was based in Kharkiv, and then as part of an Associated Press team with Mstyslav Chernov and Vasylisa Stepanenko, he travelled to Mariupol. For 20 days, the team documented Russian crimes but had to leave because the occupiers began looking for photographers. After Mariupol, Maloletka continued to work in hot spots: Kharkiv, Izium, and Kherson.
In October, the works of Chernov and Maloletka from Mariupol were awarded a prize at a French competition. In May, they won the Georgiy Gongadze Prize [Ukrainian award for independent journalists – ed.].
Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
