5 unmissable events at the World Press Photo Festival 2018

The cosmopolitan Dutch city of Amsterdam is home to the World Press Photo (WPPh) Festival – the prestigious annual celebration of photojournalism that has been sponsored by Canon since 1992. The 2018 World Press Photo Contest winners will be announced on 12 April, followed by the World Press Photo Exhibition and Festival events at locations around the city from 13 to 14 April 2018.

Festival venues will host an exciting range of events including lectures, workshops, screenings, exhibitions and book signings, and will be attended by leading photojournalists, editors and agents. Here are five unmissable Canon events that are taking place.

1. Canon's opening night celebrations

Canon will host the exclusive opening of the World Press Photo Exhibition, which takes place in the 15th century church De Nieuwe Kerk in central Amsterdam on 13 April from 8pm until 11pm. Ticket holders will be among the first to see the display, which features all the prize-winning work from the photo and digital storytelling contests. The exhibition will subsequently tour venues around the world.

2. Ivor Prickett’s talk about The Battle for Mosul

Impressively, the Canon-shooting Irish photojournalist has two images shortlisted among the six selected for the World Press Photo Contest’s Photo of the Year prize, plus one in the General News category. The New York Times photographer will discuss his series The Battle for Mosul, from which all his shortlisted images have been drawn, on 13 April at 3.15pm in Amsterdam’s Zuiveringshal West.

3. Pete Souza’s intimate portraits of Barack Obama

Pete Souza will share his experiences of photographing President Barack Obama while he worked as the Chief Official White House Photographer. His behind-the-scenes images, many of them taken with Canon DSLRs, give a fascinating insight into the former President’s life. They have recently been published in a book, Obama: An Intimate Portrait. Pete will talk about his work on 13 April at 4.45pm in Zuiveringshal West.

4. Jasper Doest sharing his passion for nature

Dutch documentary and conservation photographer Jasper Doest has been nominated in the Nature Stories category of World Press Photo 2018, for his series Sacred No More. His photographs focus on the changing relationship between humans and wild animals through his images of people’s treatment of Japanese macaques (also known as snow monkeys). In the past, these monkeys were regarded as sacred mediators between gods and humans, but now many are trained to perform in the entertainment industry or are treated as pests. The Canon photographer will talk about his work on 14 April at 12.15pm in Amsterdam’s Westergastheater.

5. Stephanie Sinclair’s prestigious Sem Presser Lecture

Stephanie Sinclair is both a World Press Photo and Pulitzer Prize-winning American photojournalist. A Canon shooter, she focuses on gender and human rights stories around the world, highlighting issues such as child marriage and genital mutilation. She will deliver the annual Sem Presser Lecture, in which a highly-acclaimed international speaker focuses on a subject of great significance to photojournalism. Stephanie’s talk will detail her ongoing 15-year series Too Young To Wed, and will be delivered on 14 April at 5pm in Westergastheater.

To find out more about World Press Photo 2018, visit the World Press Photo Festival website.