Prothom Alo’s Suvra Kanti Das wins World Press Photo Award
Prothom Alo photojournalist Suvra Kanti Das has been honored with the prestigious World Press Photo Award this year. He is one of three winners in the single photograph category for the West, Central, and South Asia region.
His award-winning image, titled The Canvas of Power, captures the vandalism of a statue of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the Bijoy Sarani intersection in Dhaka on 5 August, 2024.
In the competition, a total of 3,778 photographers from 141 countries submitted nearly 60,000 photographs. An independent international jury selected the winning images based on visual quality, storytelling, and diverse representation.
Awards have been announced for six regions: Africa, Asia-Pacific and Oceania, Europe, North and Central America, South America, and West, Central, and South Asia. Three singles, three stories, and three long term projects have been recognised from each region.
Regarding the award-winning photo, the World Press Photo noted that a July 2024 student protest against a restrictive government job quota scheme escalated into a mass uprising against a government accused of unlawful detentions, enforced disappearances, and widespread suppression of dissent. Unrest took place against a backdrop of struggles for fair elections, and a cyber-security law seen to erode freedom of speech.
Although initially peaceful, demonstrations became violent after authorities and pro-government paramilitaries cracked down on protesters, killing at least 1,400 people. By August the regime had collapsed. Prime minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and went into exile, and army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman announced the formation of an interim government.
Other winners in the single photograph category for the region are Murat Şengül of news agency Anadolu and Samar Abu Elouf of The New York Times.
The World Press Photo of the Year and two other finalists will be announced at a flagship exhibition at Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam on 17 April. The winners will receive the awards at a programme at Amsterdam on 16 May.