2023 World Press Photo Exhibition Opens at Neimënster

On the evening of Wednesday 29 November 2023, a vernissage of the annual World Press Photography competition took place at Abbaye de Neumünster (neimënster) in Luxembourg-Grund.

Since 1955, the yearly World Press Photo competition has recognised skilled photographers for outstanding images, whether presented individually or as part of storytelling, across six global regions. These images showcase significant moments captured in photojournalism over the past year.

A panel of 31 photography professionals, led by Brent Lewis, independently evaluated submissions from 24 photographers and granted six honourable mentions. Capturing significant news events and often shedding light on moments overlooked by mainstream media in 2022, the laureates of the World Press Photo Contest 2023 focus on essential global issues. Their work spans from documenting the realities of the Ukraine war and historic protests in Iran to portraying life in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and showcasing diverse facets of the climate crisis across the globe – from Morocco to Australia, passing through Peru and Kazakhstan.

There were three speakers on the evening of the vernissage, who pointed out that this exhibition is “opening windows to the world”, which is a crucial endeavour. The organisers highlighted the importance of taking the time to admire the “difficult but striking” images and to read the stories behind them. The photojournalists who take them face great dangers and often risk their lives to take these photographs.

The exhibition has been organised in collaboration with the Luxembourg Commission for UNESCO, the Luxembourg Press Council, the National Museum of Resistance and Human Rights, the Fondatioun Zentrum fir Politesch Bildung (organisation for political education) and the Association Luxembourgeoise des Journalistes Professionnels (Luxembourg association for professional journalists). The exhibition is free, with explanatory panels in English and French, and will be open 24 hours a day from 30 November to 21 December 2023 in the Agora Marcel Jullian room.