Every year, thousands of images are entered into the World Press Photo Contest, the world’s largest and most prestigious annual press photography competition. In 2010 a record 108,000 photographs were submitted by photojournalists, agencies, newspapers and magazines from 125 countries around the world.

The World Press Photo Exhibition 2011 showcases the winning photographs from that competition, totalling around 200 beautiful, startling, shocking, humorous and thought-provoking images.

This year’s winning photograph was taken by Jodi Bieber of South Africa and is a portrait of 18-year-old Bibi Aisher, disfigured as retribution for fleeing her husband's house in Oruzgan province, central Afghanistan. It was shot for Time and was featured on the cover of the 9 August 2010 issue of the magazine.

The 2010 contest was World Press Photo’s 54th annual competition, judged by an international jury chaired by David Burnett, USA, photojournalist and founding member of Contact Press Images. Prizes were awarded in nine themed categories to 54 photographers of 23 nationalities.

The exhibition tours the world as a showcase for creativity in photojournalism and a platform for developments in the profession, helping realise World Press Photo's aim of encouraging and stimulating press photographers around the world.

The 2011 exhibition will be showing at Britomart for four weeks as part of the REAL New Zealand Festival, a nationwide celebration of heritage, culture and entertainment staged alongside the Rugby World Cup tournament.

World Press Photo Exhibition 2011
Thursday 15 September-Sunday 9 October 2011

Ground floor, Nathan Building,
40 Customs Street East, Britomart

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 9am to 5pm
Wednesday 9am to 7pm
Saturday, Sunday 10am to 5pm

Tickets $5