Why did judges in the World Press Photo competition disqualify 20 percent of the finalists in the field for awards?
Michael Gray
Updated on April 03, 2026
Up to 20% of World Press Photo entries that made it to the penultimate round of the contest were disqualified after they were found to have been manipulated or post-processed carelessly, the Dutch organization has confirmed.
What are the rules of photojournalism?
Ten Practical Principles for Photojournalists
- Get in close.
- Find unusual angles.
- Get identification.
- Burn pixels.
- Go beyond the cliche.
- Avoid obvious posing.
- Add light, but don’t make it obvious.
- Focus faithfully, stay steady.
What is integrity in photography?
Integrity is truthful and unaffected quality. Truthful images in visual communication are aligned with an ethical photography code of ethics.
What is the difference between photography and photojournalism?
Photojournalism is the visual story telling dealing with the everyday lives of people and the many facets of their daily activities. Photojournalism deals with PEOPLE, while photography deals with making visual images of anything. • Photojournalism is communicative photography to tell a story.
What makes a good photojournalist photo?
Your photos should focus on the faces of people, not on their backs or the backs of their heads. Take photos of people in action; of people doing things. Avoid taking photos of people shaking hands or handing out awards as these tend to bore the audience. Make sure that your subject is always in focus.
What are the ethics in photography?
Photography ethics are the principles that guide how we take and share photographs. Photography ethics are subjective, contextual, and fluid, meaning that every person’s ethics will be different, because ethics are based on a person’s life experience and values.
What is code of ethics in photography?
Be accurate and comprehensive in the representation of subjects. Resist being manipulated by staged photo opportunities. Be complete and provide context when photographing or recording subjects. While photographing subjects do not intentionally contribute to, alter, or seek to alter or influence events.
What counts as photo manipulation?
Photo manipulation is the application of image editing techniques to photographs in order to create an illusion or deception after the original photographing took place.
What is considered image manipulation?
Photo manipulation involves transforming or altering a photograph using various methods and techniques to achieve desired results. There are a number of software applications available for digital image manipulation, ranging from professional applications to very basic imaging software for casual users.
Why did World Press Photo disqualify one of its winners?
World Press Photo has disqualified one of the winners of this year’s contest after concluding that the photographer digitally manipulated his work. The disqualified entry “Street fighting, Kiev, Ukraine”, shot by Stepan Rudik for the Russian news agency RIA Novosti, had won 3rd prize in Sports Features.
What is the World Press Photo Contest?
Since 1955 the World Press Photo Contest has recognized professional photographers for the best pictures contributing to the past year of visual journalism. Discover the stories that matter from 2018, chosen by an independent jury of photography professionals.
What has World Press Photo said about image manipulation?
The news comes a few months after World Press Photo released a report on image manipulation and industry standards. “There is clearly an urgent need to take this matter further,” says Boering.
Did World Press Photo try to mislead the jury?
And while World Press Photo believes there were no attempts to deceive or to mislead, the organization’s independent experts “found anomalies in a large number of files and presented their findings to the jury,” says Boering.