Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Spectrum World Press Photo Awards

1 Rina Castelnuovo, Israel
A Jewish settler throws wine at a Palestinian woman in Hebron in the West Bank. Holy to both Jews and Muslims, the city is often the scene of violence. Castelnuovo captured the attack while photographing a celebration of the Jewish festival of Purim

2 Annie Van Gemert, The Netherlands
For over six years, Van Gemert has photographed a group of 30 Dutch children who, she says, don’t comply with our expectations of elegant girls and tough, strong, macho boys - they dare to be themselves.


3 Peter Bialobrzeski, Germany
For his otherworldly landscapes, Bialobrzeski visited the outskirts of some of Asia’s most densely populated cities, such as Bangkok and Jakarta. He photographed the effects of artificial lighting from nearby homes and offices on the surviving greenery


4 Craig Golding, Australia
Ageing athletes tackle a water hurdle during a steeplechase at the World Masters Games in Sydney. More than 28,000 people entered the 2009 Games - the average age was 50 while the oldest competitor was an astonishing 101


5 Nick Cobbing, United Kingdom
Greenpeace scientists tow an ice-sounding radar between kayaks along a melt-water ravine on Petermann Glacier, Greenland, during the organisation’s 2009 Arctic Meltdown expedition. The team of glaciologists sailed further north than any previous expedition to document the effects of climate change. The radar scans the changing thickness, internal structure and basal melt rates of the glacier, which is one of the largest in Greenland


6 Ou Zhihang, China
The photographer and TV personality Ou Zhihang crisscrossed China photographing himself doing push-ups naked at sites that have hit the headlines



7 Ou Zhihang, China
One location was the Television Cultural Center in Beijing, which caught fire last February during a festival


8 Ou Zhihang, China
’I want the world to understand China through these pictures.’


9 Ou Zhihang, China


10 Ou Zhihang, China


11 Kees Van De Veen, The Netherlands
Two artists photograph a subject dressed in a headscarf, during the KunstSpoor festival in the Netherlands. Using a range of sitters and clothes, they say they hope to create art that makes people address their prejudices


12 Farah Abdi Warsameh, Somalia
Found guilty of adultery, Mohamed Abukar Ibrahim, 48, is stoned to death


13 After spending the day target shooting, three young brothers pose with guns close to their trailer-park home in the small town of Hungry Horse, central Montana. During the 1950s the area enjoyed a brief period of prosperity while a huge 172-metre hydraulic dam was built on the nearby Flathead River. But investors have long abandoned the town, leaving a declining population of 900 to compete for a dwindling number of jobs - with almost one-third living below the poverty line


14 Gihan Tubbeh, Peru
Tubbeh won first prize in the Daily Life Stories category for this picture of Adrian, a 13-year-old autistic boy, enjoying a bath


15 Winner, World Press Photo of the Year 2010. Pietro Masturzo, Italy
The jury voted Masturzo’s image of the aftermath of the Iranian presidential elections as the overall winner. It depicts women voicing their dissent from Tehran rooftops following President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s contentious victory. Jury chair Ayperi Karabuda Ecer said: ’The photo shows the beginning of a huge story. It touches you both visually and emotionally. My heart went out to it immediately’


16 Shot for The Sunday Times Magazine. Eugene Richards, USA
Titled ’War is Personal’, this image won first prize in the Contemporary Issues category. Richards documented America’s casualties of war returning home from Iraq - and was first featured in Spectrum last July. In this picture, Nelida Bagley lifts her son, Jose, from his bed at the West Roxbury Veterans Administration Medical Center, Massachusetts. The 34-year-old lost 40% of his brain after a grenade exploded in his vehicle while he was on patrol in Ramadi. He will require constant care for the rest of his life



17 Denis Rouvre, France
With his war paint applied, a Senegalese wrestler repeats sacred chants as he prepares to fight at an arena in Dakar?s suburbs. The bouts ? a mixture of wrestling and bare-knuckle boxing ? attract tens of thousands of spectators and offer the victors substantial cash prizes