Odesa Photo Days Statement on Ukrainian Tour of the World Press Photo 2025 Winners Exhibition

For two years in a row, in 2023 and 2024, Odesa Photo Days Festival has been a partner of the annual exhibition of the winners of the World Press Photo international documentary photography competition in Ukraine. Thanks to the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, we were able to show the exhibition in 5 cities, where thousands of Ukrainians were able to see stories from around the world and dive into the global context in which we exist. It was important and valuable for us.

This year, the announcement of the winners of the competition caused outrage among the Ukrainian photo community, which we fully share. The World Press Photo 2025 jury paired Florian Bachmeier’s “Beyond the Trenches,” which depicts a Ukrainian child suffering from panic attacks after shelling and forced migration, and Nanna Heitman’s “Underground Field Hospital,” which depicts a soldier of the self-proclaimed LPR after a battle. In fact, this step put the suffering of the victim of military aggression and the representative of the aggressor on a par. Also, a photographer from the Russian state propaganda agency TASS received a prize for his photos of anti-russian protests in Georgia. We also stand in solidarity with the Georgian photography community, which condemns this jury’s decision.

After a wave of public letters and appeals, World Press Photo and the international jury apologized for the controversial decision and recognized the inadmissibility of pairing such photos. The full text is on the contest organizers’ website.

However, the awards determined by the global jury were not withdrawn, so the Russian propagandist and foreign authors who consciously or unconsciously contribute to Russian propaganda remain winners of the prestigious photojournalism and documentary photography competition.

In view of this, Odesa Photo Days will not participate in the organization of the Ukrainian tour of the World Press Photo winners’ exhibition in 2025.