2019 World Press Photo Digital Storytelling Contest - International Story telling competition

The World Press Photo Digital Storytelling Contest 2019 has been recently opened for entries.

Digital technologies have transformed how we produce and consume stories. The World Press Photo Digital Storytelling Contest rewards those producing the best forms of visual journalism enabled by these changes.

2019 Digital Storytelling Contest categories:

• Interactive - An interactive visual story or project in a form other than video, which through its design creates an immersive and/or innovative experience for the user. It must include photography and/or film in combination with (but not limited to) animation, graphics, illustrations, sound or text.

• Long - A single linear narrative, or series of linear narratives, on a single topic, produced as a video for the web, and lasting no longer than 30 minutes in total. The production(s) must include photography and/or film in combination with (but not limited to) animation, graphics, illustrations, sound or text.

• Short - A single linear narrative, produced as a video for the web, lasting no longer than 10 minutes. The production must include photography and/or film in combination with (but not limited to) animation, graphics, illustrations, sound or text.

Submission requirements:

- The visual journalist(s) must be the author(s) of the material submitted in his/her/their name.

- Entries in all categories must have been produced or first published in 2018.

- All productions must either have English-language audio and/or text or must be subtitled in English.

- Entries must be submitted via the official contest platform. Entries sent in other ways will not be accepted.

- Entries in all categories must be available online. The URL’s for the productions entered must be provided when submitting through the entry website.

- All entries must be submitted by 8 January 2019 at 12.00 (noon) Central European Time in order to participate in the 2019 contest.

- For entries that progress from the screening panel to the judging stage, producers must provide high-resolution production files and promotional materials (including a minimum of 10 screenshots or stills and a trailer of 1 minute).

The first stage is a screening panel in each category, in which panelists have two weeks to complete the pre-selection online. The screening panel is followed by a jury stage. The jury will judge the remaining productions in several rounds. In the final round 3 nominees in each category will be chosen. Furthermore, will be nominated The World Press Photo Interactive of the Year and The World Press Photo Online Video of the year.

In each stage and round, the following criteria are considered:

Long and Short categories

• Editing - skilful, discerning or imaginative editing
• Design - skilful audio-visual design
• Impact - strength of storytelling

Interactive category

• Editing - skilful, discerning or imaginative editing
• Design - skilful audio-visual design
• Impact - strength of storytelling
• Interactive, immersive and/or innovative functionality - level of synergy of technical form and content to create engaging digital storytelling for the audience
• Structure and navigation - comprehensive organization of content, prioritization of information and manner in which users navigate through the story

A representative from the nominated productions are invited to attend the 2019 Awards Show in Amsterdam during which the The World Press Photo Online Video of the Year, The World Press Photo Interactive of the Year, and all Digital Storytelling Contest winners will be announced. There is no entry fee to participate!

It's free to enter!

The World Press Photo Digital Storytelling Contest 2019 is open to digital storytellers, visual journalists, producers, and entry coordinators, with submissions that include the work of a professional visual journalist.

The 3 nominees in each category will receive:

• Inclusion in the World Press Photo exhibition
• Inclusion in the annual collectible yearbook, available in multiple languages with a worldwide distribution of more than 30,000
• A diploma and Golden Eye Award, presented at the annual Awards Ceremony during the World Press Photo Festival in Amsterdam. A representative from each of the nominated productions will get an invitation, return airfare, and hotel accommodation for the annual networking event, the World Press Photo Festival.
• In addition, nominees are often featured in major publications and invited to speak at public events, exhibition openings, and lectures throughout the year.

To put the spotlight on the stories that matter, the World Press Photo Foundation will award a World Press Photo Interactive of the Year and a World Press Photo Online Video of the Year. Both awards carry a cash prize of 10,000 euros. A representative will receive return airfare and hotel accommodation for travel to Amsterdam for the World Press Photo Festival. The winners also receive a World Press Photo of the Year Award/World Press Photo Story of the Year Award, created by Gijs Bakker, a selection of camera equipment provided by Canon, a Golden Eye Award and a diploma.