Photos by Dakila

Two Filipinas among the winners of the regional World Press Photo Contest, chosen from thousands of entrants, highlights the Drug War, and the Golden Gays in the Philippines.

In its Philippine leg of the global exhibit, 2023 World Press Photo Exhibition goes to Manila to showcase the works of the top photojournalists, documentary photographers that exposed the most pressing issues of the year 2022. Among regional winners are two Filipinas:

In her win in the long-term projects category, Kimberly dela Cruz’s chilling photographs confront the drug war in the Philippines in “Death of a Nation” from 2016 to 2022.

Capturing a comforting sense of care and community within an ageing LGBTQI+ group challenged by discrimination and socioeconomic hardships, Hannah Reyes Morales wins the regional award for the stories category for portraying warmth, joy, and dignity in “Home for the Golden Gays.”

dela Cruz and Morales are among the 24 regional winners chosen from over 60,000 entries submitted by 3,752 entrants from 127 countries. Six regional juries judged the entries, and all winners were selected by a global jury consisting of six regional juries and an international jury chair. The regional juries first chose a selection of entries per category in their regions, after which the global jury decided on the regional winners.

Please find the regional winners’ media kit with images, productions, and captions at bit.ly/2023GlobalWinnersMediaKit.

Maika Elan, photographer and photo editor, and 2023 Contest Southeast Asia and Oceania jury chair, said:

“At the heart of our selection process was the desire to highlight stories that not only raised awareness of important issues but also provided solutions or a call to action. We sought strong and brave stories that, in the context of our countries, may have been difficult to execute or discuss openly.”

Further, she has this to say about the importance of Cruz’s entry:

“A […] crucial concern was the drug war in the Philippines, where extrajudicial killings and human rights violations are widespread. Photographs highlighted the human rights violations, and raised important questions about justice and accountability.”

Executive Director of the World Press Photo Foundation, Joumana El Zein Khoury, said:

“Millions of people around the world will look at these photos and see death, despair, loss, and crisis. My wish is that they also see what I see. The hope that through documentation there is a chance of justice and a better future, through remembering we honor what is lost, and through the courage and dedication of these photographers we are inspired.”

DAKILA, this year’s World Press Photo Exhibition local partner in the Philippines, believes in the power of Press Freedom “…to continue telling the truth amidst blatant censorship and attacks. [For] the Human Rights community to continue defending press freedom and community journalism in telling the truth on the key issues the country faces such as the drug war and gender discrimination,” Floyd Scott Tiogangco, DAKILA Communications Director, said in a statement.

The two Filipinas’ stories, alongside the other winners from the global and regional categories, will be shown in an exhibition at the World Press Photo Exhibition 2023 in Manila. The exhibit will run from February 26 to March 17, 2024 at The Gallery, 11th Floor, College of Saint Benilde, School of Design and Arts, Metro Manila.

Following the exhibit is a public forum on visual storytellers in narrative building and changemaking on February 28, 2024, Wednesday, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM at 5th Floor Main Auditorium, School of Arts and Design, College of Saint Benilde. At the forefront of this forum are 2023 World Press Winners Hannah Reyes Morales, Kimberly dela Cruz, photographer Ezra Acayan, and representatives from the Golden Gays and families of the drug war victims.

These events are made possible in partnership with DAKILA, College of Saint Benilde-Design and Arts Campus, and the support from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Philippines.

For media inquiries and further information, please contact:

Press Contact:
John Joshua Barbo
Public Relations Manager
DAKILA
info@dakila.org.ph | +639625281145

About the World Press Photo Foundation:
Connecting the world to the stories that matter.
The World Press Photo Foundation is a global platform connecting photojournalists, documentary photographers and our worldwide audiences through trustworthy storytelling.

World Press Photo was founded in 1955 when a group of Dutch photographers organized a contest (“World Press Photo”) to expose their work to an international audience. Since then, the contest has grown into one of the world’s most prestigious competitions, rewarding the best in photojournalism and documentary photography from around the world. Through their successful worldwide exhibition program, they present to millions of people the stories that matter.

The World Press Photo Foundation is a creative, independent, nonprofit organization, based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Among its strategic partners are the Dutch Postcode Lottery and PwC.

About DAKILA:

DAKILA – Philippine Collective for Modern Heroism is an organization of artists, cultural and development activists, students, young professionals, and individuals creatively building a movement of heroism toward social transformation.