The global situation surrounding the COVID-19 virus has also affected the World Press Photo Foundation. Our annual Awards Show and Festival have been cancelled. Both events have become pivotal occasions for the visual journalism community to come together and we are all going to miss that moment. Some locations of the World Press Photo Exhibition 2020 have been postponed. Check the calendar for updates: worldpressphoto.org/calendar

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The announcement of the winners will go on as planned. The best visual storytelling of 2019 - including the World Press Photo of the Year, Story of the Year, Interactive of the Year and Online Video of the Year - will be announced on 16 April 2020, 22:00 CEST, across our platforms.

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Read the letter from the director:

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Dear friends

These past weeks are unlike anything we’ve experienced before. As the COVID-19 crisis continues to develop, the way we live and how we operate in our societies is being radically changed.

In these uncertain times World Press Photo remains committed to supporting our community of visual storytellers, partners, audiences and friends. Our exhibition partners show great commitment to create impact with us and we are thankful for their dedication.

The need for visual journalism we can trust has never been greater. Photographers and visual journalists are finding it hard to make a living, assignments are getting cancelled, and reporting is under pressure. Public events are being cancelled and public spaces are closed. Here in Amsterdam, we have cancelled our events and closed our office in compliance with Dutch guidelines, and we are working from our homes like many of you.

We’re refocusing our efforts to do what we can to support the community during this global crisis. We’ve pulled together guidance, resources, funding and grants for visual journalists here.

While uncertainty reigns, we want to listen to your stories, to find out about your challenges and to explore ways forward together in this new reality. When it comes to our resources and programming work, we want to explore new models with maximum creativity and flexibility: virtual tours, online festivals, streaming documentaries are some of the new responses to these challenges.

We remain committed to our purpose and we are working hard to connect you, our community, to the stories that matter. Thank you for your dedication and support, and please take care. We are all in this together.

On behalf of my team,
Lars Boering
Managing director

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Supporting visual journalism through the COVID-19 crisis

Below are some resources, funding and grants to help visual journalists covering the crisis. For the full list, which is getting updated regularly, check the page here.

• The Everyday Projects COVID-19 Guide for Visual Journalists: tips for visual journalists by Dr. Jenell Stewart to help journalists who are struggling with ethical and safety considerations in the current context.
• Committee to Protect Journalists COVID-19 resource: research on attacks on journalists covering the COVID-19 outbreak, latest safety advice, and Q&As with journalists covering the pandemic in the U.S. and around the world.
• International Women's Media Foundation webinar 'Lessons Learned from Journalists Covering Global Pandemics': journalists from Hong Kong and Italy share their experience covering COVID-19, and journalists who reported on past global outbreaks speak about lessons learned.
• covid19.publicsource.xyz: an ongoing project from Public Source featuring documentary photographers, journalists and writers recording events related to the COVID-19 virus as they unfold.
• NPPA's COVID-19 resource guide: a comprehensive list of grants, safety guidance, and general advice on how to deal with the current situation.
• COVID-19 freelancer artist resources, including emergency funding.
• ‘Staying Safe, Staying in Business’: Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard’s best practices guide to covering a pandemic.
• How to Disinfect Camera Equipment and Spaces
• UNESCO Resource Center of Responses to COVID-19: wide-ranging efforts of the communication and information communities to tackle the current COVID-19 pandemic.

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