Photographic images that marked 2008 through the lens of world-renowned press photographers are presented in the world’s biggest international press photography exhibition, World Press Photo 2009, hosted at Athens International Airport from 7 through 29 May, 2009. The exhibition shows all the winners of the 52nd edition of the biggest competition in press photography: World Press Photo. The exhibition, which will visit over 100 locations all around the world, displays 196 photographs honoured as the best photographic reports of 2008 by the international jury of World Press Photo. Among the prize-winning photographs, features the work of the Greek photojournalist Yannis Kolesidis, who was awarded the 2nd Prize Singles in the category People in the News. The award-winning press photos were distinguished among 96,268 photographs of 5,508 press photographers from 124 countries, in 10 different categories: Spot News, General News, People in the News, Sports Action, Sports Features, Contemporary Issues, Daily Life, Portraits, Arts and Entertainment and Nature. Highlighting the best photographic images of 2008 for thousands of visitors, Athens International Airport has the honour of hosting the world’s best press photography exhibition. AIA is proud to be a sponsor of this event for the fourth time. The exhibition will be on display at Athens International Airport from May 7th until May 29th, 2009 (Arrivals level, Extra Schengen Area / “A” – area accessible to all airport visitors 24 hours a day). World Press Photo receives support from the Dutch Postcode Lottery and is sponsored worldwide by Canon and TNT.
World Press Photo is run as an independent, non-profit organization with its office in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where World Press Photo was founded in 1955. The organization is controlled by an independent management board and employs around 20 permanent staff members. The Amsterdam office acts as the hub for a network of professional contacts worldwide. The cooperation and assistance of people in this international network makes organising the contest, exhibitions and other activities on such a large scale possible. First and foremost, World Press Photo is known for organizing the world's largest and most prestigious annual press photography contest. After the contest, the prize-winning photographs are assembled into a travelling exhibition that is visited by over two million people in 45 countries. A yearbook presenting all prize-winning entries is published annually in six languages. Another primary objective of the organization is to stimulate developments in photojournalism and to encourage the transfer of knowledge. To this end, World Press Photo organizes a number of educational projects throughout the world: seminars, workshops and the annual Joop Swart Masterclass.