AMSTERDAM.- On Friday 18 April 2014 De Nieuwe Kerk Amsterdam opened World Press Photo 14, being the first venue of this year’s global exhibition tour annually following this international press photography contest.

The exhibition consists of over 150 striking press photos of 53 prize winners, in the following nine categories: Contemporary Issues, Daily Life, General News, Spot News, Nature, Observed Portraits, Staged Portraits, Sports Action and Sports Feature. The visitor sets out on a photographic trip around the world covering all continents and a wide variety of themes and historical events of the year 2013.

This year’s winner is John Stanmeyer (USA) with his entry Signal, shot for the National Geographic. This mystical image depicts African migrants on the shore of Djibouti city at night, raising their phones in an attempt to catch an inexpensive signal from neighbouring Somalia. The contest has also brought some Dutch success: in the category Observed Portraits Carla Kogelman has won the first prize for her series Ich bin Waldviertel. Kogelman portrays Hannah and Alena, two sisters in the small village of Merkenbrechts in Austria. In addition to the winning photographs - six for each category - the winners of the multimedia contest are on display as well. World Press Photo 14 runs from Friday 18 April till Sunday 22 June 2014 in De Nieuwe Kerk Amsterdam.

The very first exhibition was also held in Amsterdam, in 1955, as a counterpoint to the Dutch Silver Camera Award. De Nieuwe Kerk Amsterdam accommodated the World Press Photo exhibition from 1982 to 1999. Now, after 15 years the exhibition returns to its former location on Dam Square in Amsterdam.