Twelve young photographers have been selected to come together with a group of masters for the 16th annual World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass to be held from 31 October to 6 November 2009 in Foam Fotografiemuseum, Amsterdam.
The 12 participants were selected among 179 candidates who had been nominated to submit their portfolios. During the masterclass meeting in November, the participant photographers will interact with six prominent experts, discussing technical, journalistic and ethical aspects of their work.
The following 12 photographers were selected to participate in the masterclass 2009:
• Kathryn Cook, USA
• Matt Eich, USA
• Simona Ghizzoni, Italy
• Sohrab Hura, India
• Benedicte Kurzen, France
• Don McNeill Healy, Ireland
• Mads Nissen, Denmark
• Kosuke Okahara, Japan
• Ali Akbar Shirjian, Iran
• Gihan Tubbeh, Peru
• Dirk-Jan Visser, The Netherlands
• Alvaro Ybarra Zavala, Spain
The participants were selected by an independent, international selection committee consisting of: Walter Astrada (Argentina) freelance photographer, Nan Goldin (USA) art and documentary photographer, Jan Grarup (Denmark) photographer Noor, Santiago Lyon (USA) director of photography The Associated Press, Jenny Smets (The Netherlands) photo editor Vrij Nederland, Anne Tucker (USA) curator of photography The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
In preparation for the meeting, the participants will execute a photo essay on one single theme, which for this year is: "Touch". The essays will be discussed during sessions with the masters and edited into a publication.
The Joop Swart Masterclass has been organized by World Press Photo every year since 1994. Its goal is to bring together some of the most experienced individuals in photojournalism with 12 young, promising photographers so that they can share and pass on their knowledge and experience. From the beginning of the program a total of 176 young photographers have participated in the program, many of them moving on to establish themselves as today's leading photojournalists.
The Joop Swart Masterclass is supported by Delta Lloyd Group, Stichting Democratie en Media and Canon, who provides all participants with a grant. World Press Photo is sponsored worldwide by Canon and TNT.
