Latest news with #2025WorldPressPhotooftheYearAward
Middle East Eye
17-04-2025
- General
- Middle East Eye
Palestinian photographer Samar Abu Elouf wins 2025 World Press Photo of Year
Samar Abu Elouf is adding another prize to her mantle. The freelance Palestinian photographer from Gaza has defied the odds to work on every major story in the enclave from 2010 until the end of 2023. On Thursday, she received the 2025 World Press Photo of the Year Award for her photograph published by The New York Times of nine-year-old Mahmoud Ajjour, who lost both arms in an Israeli air strike in Gaza City in March 2024. The phone was taken by Abu Elouf in June 2024, as she had found herself residing in the same apartment complex as Ajjour in Doha, Qatar, where the Palestinian boy was staying with his family while receiving medical treatment. Abu Elouf was able to leave Gaza in December 2023. Ajjour is one of the lucky few to have been flown out for medical care, and Abu Elouf has been documenting many of their experiences as they journey toward healing. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Abu Elouf had already won the prestigious Polk Award in 2023 for - among others in a collection - what has become one of the most recognisable and defining images of Israel's war on Gaza, in which children sheltering at a school in Gaza look up in fear at the sky, hearing the bombs fall around them. In 2024, Abu Elouf was the recipient of the Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award from the International Women's Media Foundation for a series of 12 images commissioned by her primary employer, The New York Times, documenting the impact of war on Gaza's women and children. Abu Elouf contributed several photographs to boost Middle East Eye's reporting in 2019, whether on the Israeli killings of children during non-violent protest, the salary cuts that stemmed from the longstanding Palestinian Authority-Hamas feud, or the agonising wait of a family for the return of their deceased loved one, still held by Israel. 'No one pays us any attention' It wasn't always like this. Speaking to MEE in 2016, Abu Elouf said embarking on the work she loved in Gaza was difficult and unsafe, and perhaps most of all, thankless. In the line of fire - the journalists of Gaza Read More » "Unfortunately, instead of receiving support and recognition for the work we do, no one pays us any attention," she said. "This is why I specifically want to deliver a message to all press freedom organisations that carry slogans of press protection, yet, on the ground, do nothing to protect us, that they need to start paying attention to the reality here." The quote rings equally true today. Officials in Gaza have counted more than 220 media workers who have been killed in Gaza since October 2023, making it the deadliest war for the profession in the last hundred years, according to the Costs of War project at Brown University. In 2016, Abu Elouf was photographed for MEE, wearing her press helmet, which was made from a saucepan, and her press vest, made from plastic bags. She was unable to afford real protective gear at the time. "We, as freelance journalists, have no protection whatsoever; no one is there to provide us with safety and protection measures and when we get injured, we are often blame ourselves," Abu Elouf told MEE. It's a sentiment that remains true today, whether journalists are young freelancers or they're veteran journalists decked out in press gear and employed by some of the world's biggest news organisations.
Asharq Al-Awsat
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Amputee Palestinian Boy Image Wins World Press Photo Award
A haunting portrait of a nine-year-old Palestinian boy who lost both arms during an Israeli attack on Gaza City won the 2025 World Press Photo of the Year Award Thursday. The picture, by Samar Abu Elouf for The New York Times, depicts Mahmoud Ajjour, evacuated to Doha after an explosion severed one arm and mutilated the other last year. "One of the most difficult things Mahmoud's mother explained to me was how when Mahmoud first came to the realisation that his arms were amputated, the first sentence he said to her was, 'How will I be able to hug you'?" said Elouf. The photographer is also from Gaza and was herself evacuated in December 2023. She now portrays badly wounded Palestinians based in Doha. "This is a quiet photo that speaks loudly. It tells the story of one boy, but also of a wider war that will have an impact for generations," said Joumana El Zein Khoury, World Press Photo Executive Director. The jury praised the photo's "strong composition and attention to light" and its thought-provoking subject-matter, especially questions raised over Mahmoud's future. The boy is now learning to play games on his phone, write, and open doors with his feet, the jury said. "Mahmoud's dream is simple: he wants to get prosthetics and live his life as any other child," said the World Press Photo organisers in a statement. The jury also selected two photos for the runner-up prize. The first, entitled "Droughts in the Amazon" by Musuk Nolte for Panos Pictures and the Bertha Foundation, shows a man on a dried-up river bed in the Amazon carrying supplies to a village once accessible by boat. The second, "Night Crossing" by John Moore shooting for Getty Images, depicts Chinese migrants huddling near a fire during a cold rainshower after crossing the US–Mexico border. The jury sifted through 59,320 photographs from 3,778 photo journalists to select 42 prize-winning shots from around the world. Photographers for Agence France-Presse were selected four times for a regional prize, more than any other organization. Nairobi-based Luis Tato won in the "Stories" category for the Africa region for a selection of photos depicting Kenya's youth uprising. Jerome Brouillet won in the "Singles" category Asia-Pacific and Oceania for his iconic picture of surfer Gabriel Medina seemingly floating above the waves. Clarens Siffroy won in the "Stories" category North and Central America for his coverage of the gang crisis in Haiti. Finally, Anselmo Cunha won in the "Singles" category for South America for his photo of a Boeing 727-200 stranded at Salgado Filho International Airport in Brazil.
Khaleej Times
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Amputee Palestinian boy image wins World Press Photo award
A haunting portrait of a nine-year-old Palestinian boy who lost both arms during an Israeli attack on Gaza City won the 2025 World Press Photo of the Year Award on Thursday. The picture, by Samar Abu Elouf for The New York Times, depicts Mahmoud Ajjour, evacuated to Doha after an explosion severed one arm and mutilated the other last year. "One of the most difficult things Mahmoud's mother explained to me was how when Mahmoud first came to the realisation that his arms were amputated, the first sentence he said to her was, 'How will I be able to hug you'?" said Elouf. The photographer is also from Gaza and was herself evacuated in December 2023. She now portrays badly wounded Palestinians based in Doha. "This is a quiet photo that speaks loudly. It tells the story of one boy, but also of a wider war that will have an impact for generations," said Joumana El Zein Khoury, World Press Photo executive director. The jury praised the photo's "strong composition and attention to light" and its thought-provoking subject-matter, especially questions raised over Mahmoud's future. The boy is now learning to play games on his phone, write, and open doors with his feet, the jury said. "Mahmoud's dream is simple: he wants to get prosthetics and live his life as any other child," said the World Press Photo organisers in a statement. The jury also selected two photos for the runner-up prize. The first, entitled 'Droughts in the Amazon' by Musuk Nolte for Panos Pictures and the Bertha Foundation, shows a man on a dried-up river bed in the Amazon carrying supplies to a village once accessible by boat. The second, 'Night Crossing' by John Moore shooting for Getty Images, depicts Chinese migrants huddling near a fire during a cold rainshower after crossing the US–Mexico border. The jury sifted through 59,320 photographs from 3,778 photo journalists to select 42 prize-winning shots from around the world. Photographers for Agence France-Presse were selected four times for a regional prize, more than any other organisation. Nairobi-based Luis Tato won in the 'Stories' category for the Africa region for a selection of photos depicting Kenya's youth uprising. Jerome Brouillet won in the 'Singles' category Asia-Pacific and Oceania for his iconic picture of surfer Gabriel Medina seemingly floating above the waves. Clarens Siffroy won in the 'Stories' category North and Central America for his coverage of the gang crisis in Haiti. Finally, Anselmo Cunha won in the 'Singles' category for South America for his photo of a Boeing 727-200 stranded at Salgado Filho International Airport in Brazil.
Daily Tribune
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Tribune
Amputee Palestinian boy image wins World Press Photo award
A haunting portrait of a nine-year-old Palestinian boy who lost both arms during an Israeli attack on Gaza City won the 2025 World Press Photo of the Year Award Thursday. The picture, by Samar Abu Elouf for The New York Times, depicts Mahmoud Ajjour, evacuated to Doha after an explosion severed one arm and mutilated the other last year. "One of the most difficult things Mahmoud's mother explained to me was how when Mahmoud first came to the realisation that his arms were amputated, the first sentence he said to her was, 'How will I be able to hug you'?" said Elouf. The photographer is also from Gaza and was herself evacuated in December 2023. She now portrays badly wounded Palestinians based in Doha. "This is a quiet photo that speaks loudly. It tells the story of one boy, but also of a wider war that will have an impact for generations," said Joumana El Zein Khoury, World Press Photo Executive Director. The jury praised the photo's "strong composition and attention to light" and its thought-provoking subject-matter, especially questions raised over Mahmoud's future. The boy is now learning to play games on his phone, write, and open doors with his feet, the jury said. "Mahmoud's dream is simple: he wants to get prosthetics and live his life as any other child," said the World Press Photo organisers in a statement. The jury also selected two photos for the runner-up prize. The first, entitled "Droughts in the Amazon" by Musuk Nolte for Panos Pictures and the Bertha Foundation, shows a man on a dried-up river bed in the Amazon carrying supplies to a village once accessible by boat. The second, "Night Crossing" by John Moore shooting for Getty Images, depicts Chinese migrants huddling near a fire during a cold rainshower after crossing the US–Mexico border. The jury sifted through 59,320 photographs from 3,778 photo journalists to select 42 prize-winning shots from around the world. Photographers for Agence France-Presse were selected four times for a regional prize, more than any other organisation. Nairobi-based Luis Tato won in the "Stories" category for the Africa region for a selection of photos depicting Kenya's youth uprising. Jerome Brouillet won in the "Singles" category Asia-Pacific and Oceania for his iconic picture of surfer Gabriel Medina seemingly floating above the waves. Clarens Siffroy won in the "Stories" category North and Central America for his coverage of the gang crisis in Haiti. Finally, Anselmo Cunha won in the "Singles" category for South America for his photo of a Boeing 727-200 stranded at Salgado Filho International Airport in Brazil.
Al-Ahram Weekly
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Amputee Palestinian boy image wins World Press Photo award - War on Gaza
A haunting portrait of a nine-year-old Palestinian boy who lost both arms during an Israeli attack on Gaza City won the 2025 World Press Photo of the Year Award Thursday. The picture, by Samar Abu Elouf for The New York Times, depicts Mahmoud Ajjour, evacuated to Doha after an explosion severed one arm and mutilated the other last year. "One of the most difficult things Mahmoud's mother explained to me was how when Mahmoud first came to the realisation that his arms were amputated, the first sentence he said to her was, 'How will I be able to hug you'?" said Elouf. The photographer is also from Gaza and was herself evacuated in December 2023. She now portrays badly wounded Palestinians based in Doha. "This is a quiet photo that speaks loudly. It tells the story of one boy, but also of a wider war that will have an impact for generations," said Joumana El Zein Khoury, World Press Photo Executive Director. The jury praised the photo's "strong composition and attention to light" and its thought-provoking subject-matter, especially questions raised over Mahmoud's future. The boy is now learning to play games on his phone, write, and open doors with his feet, the jury said. "Mahmoud's dream is simple: he wants to get prosthetics and live his life as any other child," said the World Press Photo organisers in a statement. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
