Amsterdam, The Netherlands—The World Press Photo Foundation announced the jury chairs for the 2021 World Press Photo contests. Due to the uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic, the foundation will move the judging process online for 2021. World Press Photo is a global platform connecting professionals and audiences through trustworthy visual journalism as well as storytelling,
The World Press Photo contests are among the world’s most prestigious competitions, rewarding the best in visual journalism and digital storytelling. Both the 2021 Digital Storytelling Contest and 2021 Photo Contest open for submissions on December 1, 2020, 12.00 noon CET. Entering the contests is free and open to all professional visual journalists around the world.
“Though the judging process will take a different format this year, the juries still have an important task ahead to reward and recognize the best visual journalism of 2020,” said Anna Lena Mehr, director of contests at the World Press Photo Foundation. “We’re incredibly excited to welcome two very accomplished women to chair the 2021 contests. We look forward to their expertise and insights on important issues that visual storytellers are facing today.”
2021 World Press Photo Jury Chairs
NayanTara Gurung Kakshapati will chair the 2021 Photo Contest jury. Kakshapati is the cofounder of photo.circle and Nepal Picture Library. She is also cofounder and festival director of Photo Kathmandu. Moreover, she is a Joop Swart Masterclass 2020 mentor. A group of professionals will join her to judge the annual photojournalism contest.
“Being asked to join the 2021 World Press Photo Contest jury as chair feels like an invitation to take a seat at the table; to join vital conversations on the politics of creating visibility for human and non-human conditions and defining moments that the world needs to pay attention to, deliberate on and remember,” commented Kakshapati.
Muyi Xiao will chair the 2021 Digital Storytelling Contest. Xiao is a reporter and video producer in the New York Times Visual Investigations team. She also cofounded Chinese Storytellers. In addition, she was a 2019 Digital Storytelling Contest jury member and previously worked for ChinaFile, Tencent News and Reuters. Xiao and six other professionals will reward the best digital storytelling productions of 2020. 
“I feel honored and humbled to chair the 2021 World Press Photo Digital Storytelling Contest jury. . . . This year is special and challenging for everyone; much has happened (and is still happening), and many of us were directly impacted. I am sure the submitted work will also reflect the weight and uniqueness of the year. I look forward to experiencing each and every piece,” said Xiao.
Encouraging Diverse Stories
The World Press Photo Foundation is campaigning to attract a more representative range of submissions to both contests. It will reach out to its network of past jury members, winners, partners and different organizations around the world in an attempt to further improve the diversity of the entrants.
“It is as fundamental as ever that we, World Press Photo, encourage a diversity of perspectives and to showcase stories offering a more comprehensive representation of our world. Connecting the world to the stories that matter is at the heart of what we do. It is important for us to improve representation from underrepresented regions in our contests,” added Anna Mehr.
