Chisinau is hosting for the fifth consecutive time the international exhibition World Press Photo, which is also arguably the world’s most prestigious photojournalistic contest. Launched today at the National Museum of History and running until December 2021, the exhibition invites the general public to discover the stories behind the winning photos.

The competition rewards photographers from around the world for the best images that have contributed to the development of visual journalism over the past year. Professional photographers, photojournalists and documentary photographers participate in the contest. This year, the contest attracted over 4,300 photographers from 130 countries with more than 74,000 images. The winners of the World Press Photo 2021 competition are 45 photographers from 28 countries.

An independent jury of 28 photography professionals selected the best images and stories of 2020. The jury has selected the image of Danish photographer Mads Nissen “The First Embrace” as Photography of the Year, and the series “Habibi”, of the Italian documentary photographer Antonio Faccilongo, has won the Story of the Year award. Winners have been designated in eight categories: Contemporary Issues, General News, Environment, Long-Term Projects, Nature, Spot News, Sports and Portraits.

During the launch event, National Museum of History director Eugen Sava said the exhibition reflects the talent of photojournalists from around the world. He is happy that the general public can admire these works of art, which speak for themselves without the need for words. In his opinion, the exhibited photos have the power to reflect dramatic aspects that one can understand just looking the photos.

Floris Van Eyck, head of the Embassy Office of the Netherlands in Moldova, said he was honored that the Embassy supported the exhibition. This global contest is held annually to celebrate the most accurate reproduction of human rights challenges in the world. The stories on display reflect a synthesis of the most important and shocking events in the world, and so the exhibition is an opportunity to relive the events that have shaped humanity over the past year.

Raphael Dias e Silva, World Press Photo exhibitions manager and curator, says that the organization’s mission is to celebrate the results of photographers who want to present reliable news. The exhibition has been held since 1995, so it has managed to become the most important photo competition for journalists in the world. The stories on display are diverse, from climate change to the work of front-line heal care workers, to giraffe rescue. The exhibition also shows how the pandemic has affected people’s lives in various ways.

Victoria Dodon, editor-in-chief at the Center for Independent Journalism, noted that the exhibition is being brought to Chisinau for the fifth year in a row, promoting the importance of photojournalism for freedom of expression and honoring the challenging work of photographers.

World Press Photo exhibits in almost 100 venues in about 45 countries and is visited by over 4 million people at each edition. In Chisinau, the exhibition was first held in 2017.