World Press Photo 2021 Finalists Announced, Two Italians Among Nominees

The World Press Photo 2021 competition has named 45 finalists from 28 countries. Six photographers are vying for the World Press Photo of the Year: Evelyn Hockstein (USA) for 'Lincoln Emancipation Memorial Debate'; Valery Melnikov (Russia) for 'Leaving Home in Nagorno-Karabakh'; Mads Nissen (Denmark) for 'The First Embrace'; Oleg Ponomarev (Russia) for 'The Transition: Ignat'; Luis Tato (Spain) for 'Fighting Locust Invasion in East Africa'; and Lorenzo Tugnoli (Italy) for 'Injured Man After Port Explosion in Beirut', published in the Washington Post. Tugnoli is a previous Pulitzer Prize winner and won the World Press Photo General News category in 2020. Three nominees for World Press Photo Story of the Year include Chris Donovan (Canada) with 'Those Who Will Stay Will Be Champions', Antonio Faccilongo (Italy) with 'Habibi' for Getty Reportage, and Valery Melnikov (Russia) with 'Paradise Lost'. Category nominees span Current Affairs, General News, Environment, Long-Term Projects, Nature, Sports, and Portraits. Juror Rodrigo Orrantia noted a diversity of visual storytelling approaches, with photographers moving beyond traditional photojournalism styles. Winners will be announced on April 15, 2021.