Ta Mwe, a Burmese photographer, has won an honourable mention in the Southeast Asia and Oceania section of the 65th World Press Photo contest for his Uprising in Myanmar series of photos.
The photos are a series of large format black and white film photographs depicting the first month of protests in Yangon, as small acts of resistance became mass demonstrations of public opposition to military rule, before deteriorating into pitched battles and siege-like conditions.
The awards jury gave Ta Mwe an honorable mention to show “solidarity with both the photographers working tirelessly in Myanmar, and also photojournalists at large across the region who are battling the rise of autocracy that is eroding press freedom and people’s rightful access to democracy.”
They also paid tribute to democracy movements saying: “Alongside the members of civil democratic movements, the photographers who are committed to creating intentional and universal works in hostile situations, should be recognized for the role they play in bringing regional challenges to the global public.”
Due to the dangers of working as a photographer in Myanmar Ta Mwe is a necessary alias for a Burmese photojournalist and documentary photographer. According to Ta Mwe’s redacted biography: “Ta Mwe is a Myanmarese photojournalist and documentary photographer with experience covering a wide range of political and social stories and events throughout Myanmar.
“After many years working for national and international publications and organizations as a photographer, videographer and video editor, Ta Mwe's recent work has focused on analogue still photography, covering first the COVID-19 crisis and then the country's anti-coup protests.”
The World Press Photo Contest recognizes and celebrates the best photojournalism and documentary photography of the previous year. This year the winners were chosen out of 64,823 photographs and open format entries, by 4,066 photographers from 130 countries.
Independent specialized regional and global juries decided on the 2022 regional winners, for each of the four categories; Singles, Stories, Long-Term Projects, and Open Format.
The World Press Photo Contest recognizes and celebrates the best photojournalism and documentary photography of the previous year. This year the winners were chosen out of 64,823 photographs and open format entries, by 4,066 photographers from 130 countries.
Joumana El Zein Khoury, executive director of World Press Photo Foundation, about this year's contest: "It is exhilarating to see the way in which the new regional contest set up has produced the changes that we were hoping for. Changes that we believe will offer different perspectives on, and a deeper connection to, photojournalism and documentary photography from all over the world."
