2021 - Edition 6 August, Arts, culture and events

2021 World Press Photo Contest | the stories behind the photos

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Ollie perches on a dirty plate as the photographer fills the dishwasher, while Dollie looks on from outside, in Vlaardingen, the Netherlands. By Jasper Doest
Ollie perches on a dirty plate as the photographer fills the dishwasher, while Dollie looks on from outside, in Vlaardingen, the Netherlands. By Jasper Doest
The youth group that built this ice stupa in the village of Gya installed a café in its base. They used the proceeds to take the village elders on a pilgrimage. By Ciril Jazbec
The youth group that built this ice stupa in the village of Gya installed a café in its base. They used the proceeds to take the village elders on a pilgrimage. By Ciril Jazbec
Ollie perches on a dirty plate as the photographer fills the dishwasher, while Dollie looks on from outside, in Vlaardingen, the Netherlands. By Jasper Doest
The youth group that built this ice stupa in the village of Gya installed a café in its base. They used the proceeds to take the village elders on a pilgrimage. By Ciril Jazbec

De Nieuwe Kerk hosts the World Press Photo Flagship Exhibition 2021. De Nieuwe Kerk is the home of the World Press Photo Exhibition 2021, showcasing the winning photographs from the 64th annual World Press Photo Contest and the 11th annual Digital Storytelling Contest.

 De World Press Photo Exhibition 2021 is still on display until  29 Augustus 2021 at de Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam.

Visual Thinking: questions from the winning stories
Photographs and digital stories can be interpreted in many ways, and every picture and story we display can lead to different understandings. In our educational publication ‘See the Story’ you can find more questions and background information about visual thinking.

  • How can a personal story give us insights into the world?

Pandemic Pigeons –  A love Story

Jasper Doest is an international nature photographer who was not able to travel for his work in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a consequence, and to maintain structure in his life, he began photographing his life at home with his family and the pigeon’s they befriended: Ollie and Dollie. Their daily visits were a reminder that humans are not alone on this planet, even while living isolated in urban areas.

In this story the photographer, Jasper Doest, and his family, play an active role. His family became a part of the visual story. The story was widely published in international media and Doest was initially surprised that a story so personal was interesting to others.

Read the full story here.

  • Can stories focus on solutions as well as problems?One Way to Fight Climate Change: Make Your Own Glaciers.

One Way to Fight Climate Change – Make Your Own Glaciers.

This series by Ciril Jazbec focuses on Himalayan mountain communities’ response to the receding of the glaciers. It documents ice stupas, artificial glaciers resembling Tibetan religious stupas that store winter meltwater and slowly release it for the growing season in spring, when water is most needed.

The series can be considered an example of visual journalism with a solutions approach. Rather than focusing only on problems, solutions journalism looks for where people are already taking action to deal with difficult issues.

Read the full story here

World Press Photo Exhibition 2021 – on display until 29 Augustus 2021 at de Nieuwe Kerk te Amsterdam. Book your  tickets