Visit the premiere of the World Press Photo Exhibition 2025 in De Nieuwe Kerk, Amsterdam, showcasing the stories that matter with award-winning photography from the 68th annual World Press Photo Contest.

Presenting the results of the 2025 World Press Photo Contest, the annual exhibition showcases the best and most compelling photojournalism and documentary photography of the last year, selected by an independent jury. The flagship exhibition is specially designed for the space of De Nieuwe Kerk, a 15th-century church in the center of Amsterdam.

Shane Koppers

World Press Photo

World Press Photo Exhibition 2025

Visit the World Press Photo Exhibition 2025 on its world-wide tour, showcasing the stories that matter with photography from the 68th annual World Press Photo Contest.

Presenting the results of the 2025 World Press Photo Contest, the annual exhibition showcases the best and most important photojournalism and documentary photography of the last year. The winners were chosen by an independent jury made of 31 professionals from around the world who reviewed more than 59,320 photographs entered by 3,778 photographers from 141 countries.

In 2025, World Press Photo celebrates its 70th anniversary. In this landmark year, we’ve taken the deliberate step of inviting external interpretation of our extensive archive. The anniversary exhibition, What Have We Done?, curated by Cristina de Middel, aims to deepen and challenge one’s understanding of how images construct meaning, promoting a more nuanced engagement with visual storytelling.

By examining archival images and their contexts, we acknowledge the remarkable work done by journalists in often very challenging circumstances, while simultaneously inviting the public to engage with our visual past not as a fixed narrative, but as a living resource that informs how we might tell stories differently.

The exhibition is organized around six recurring visual patterns identified in our archive:

- Women Weeping and Men Rescuing
- Emotional Soldier and Debris
- Being a Man and Being a Woman
- Black Skin and the Dark Continent
- Silhouettes and Shadows: The "Wow" Moment
- Fire and Smoke

In seven decades, the three words that define this award have transformed completely: "World," "Press," and "Photo" don’t mean the same in 1955 as they do today. This exhibition acknowledges that shift while asking where we go from here.

It is an invitation to rethink not just how our visual language has changed but also how we, as viewers and citizens, should be learning to read images with a sharper and more critical eye.

At World Press Photo, we believe in the power of storytelling to spark dialogue, raise awareness, and inspire change.


About the curator

Cristina de Middel is a Spanish photographer renowned for her conceptual approach to photojournalism. Formerly a staff photojournalist, she transitioned to personal projects that challenge perceptions of reality. Her notable works include The Afronauts, a reimagining of Zambia's 1960s space program, and Journey to the Center, documenting migrant caravans through Mexico. She was a recent president of Magnum Photos.

World Press Photo

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August

World Press Photo Exhibition 2025