2 Iran photographers awarded at World Press Photo

The World Press Photo Foundation has unveiled the winners of the 2021 World Press Photo Contests, with two Iranians acclaimed for their photos.

The prestigious photography foundation selected the best visual journalism of the past year in eight categories of Contemporary Issues, Environment, General News, Long-Term Projects, Nature, Portraits, Sports and Spot News.

Iranian photographer Fereshteh Eslahi won the third prize in the Sports category with a group of photos under “Thoughts of Flight.”

Her photos focus on Saeed Ramin who is a professional traceur (practitioner of parkour) living in Gachsaran, Iran. Seven years ago, Saeed fell in a parkour competition, injuring the spinal cord in his neck.

Newsha Tavakolian was the other Iranian photographer who won the third prize in the General News. Her photo is themed on the mourning ceremonies for General Qassem Soleimani.

Among all nominated photos, meanwhile, Mads Nissen’s ‘The First Embrace’ crowned as the World Press Photo of the Year. In the photo, Rosa Luzia Lunardi, 85, is embraced by the nurse Adriana Silva da Costa Souza at Viva Bem care home in São Paulo.

The 2021 World Press Photo Contest winners are 45 photographers from 28 countries; namely, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Greece, India, Indonesia, Italy, Iran, Ireland, Mexico, Myanmar, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the United States.

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