The International World Press Photo Contest recently named Photo of the Year. The first prize for this edition is a snapshot already known to the general public, a photo of a pregnant woman evacuated from a maternity hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol in March 2022, shortly after the conflict began. Moments after capturing this moment, this mother-to-be gives birth to a stillborn child before losing her own life. A story that shook the whole world, representing all the absurdities and atrocities of war, which the world press photo wanted to recall. “This photo sheds light on the murder of future generations of Ukrainians”Writes a contest on the caption of the photo on social networks.
Photographer Yevgeny Maloletka, who wrote this picture, was one of the first to cover the invasion of the city of Mariupol. “For 20 days we lived with paramedics in the basement of the hospital and in dormitories with ordinary citizens, trying to show the fear that Ukrainians lived. […] For me, this movie is one I want to forget. But I couldn’t.”he said.
All of the award-winning shots from the prestigious photo competition are on display at the World Press Photo Foundation’s headquarters in Amsterdam from April 22.
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