The Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest has opened its online voting process at stenincontest.com.
Any user with an account on Facebook or Twitter can select what they think is the best work from the dozens of entries by young photographers from around the world.
On the shortlist is former Independent Media photographer Phando Jikelo's photo of a protester in Grabouw. Jikelo, 31, has since been transferred to Sekunjalo's African News Agency Pictures (ANA Pictures).
The results of the online vote will be announced on July 19 2017, on the contest website.
Jury member and winner of multiple international contests, including World Press Photo, Sergei Kivrin, said: “I have seen works from past years and I can assure you that this year’s contestants are even stronger. I take my hat off to some of the shortlisted photographers. They carry on the traditions of true reporters. We’ll see which entry becomes the favourite with internet users.”
Another jury member, ANA Pictures Director of Photography Ian Landsberg said: “This year’s entries prove to be of an exceptionally high standard, which is quite significant taken into consideration the young age of contestants (18-33 years) competing in a contest where the playing field is levelled for both young and experienced visual storytellers.”
Last year, internet users gave the most votes to “The Knights” by Egyptian photographer Gehad Hamdy in the Sports category.
Head of Rossiya Segodnya’s Photo Directorate, Alexander Shtol, said: “Last year was the first time we gave internet users an opportunity to be on the jury and rate works by young photojournalists. Users vote based on completely different criteria but this makes it more interesting. Finalists will know the opinion of the internet community.”
This year's overall winners will be announced on August 7, 2017.
The Grand Prix winner will be announced later, in September, at the awards ceremony that coincides with the opening of this year’s exhibition.
The Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest aims to support young photographers and to draw public attention to the challenges of photojournalism in today’s world. It is a platform for young photographers – talented, sensitive and open to all things new – who draw our attention to the people and events around us.
The contest is run by Rossiya Segodnya and the Russian Federation Commission for UNESCO.
This year, the contest received some 5 000 entries from 76 countries that competed in four categories: Top News, Sports, My Planet, and Portrait: A Hero of Our Time.
The prize fund of the Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest 2017 has been increased, thanks to international media partners: the pan-Arab information holding Al Mayadeen TV, the Shanghai United Media Group (SUMG) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Each partner will award an additional prize for the best entry from the shortlist, in their opinion.
Media partners of the contest include Independent Media, the news website Vesti.Ru, the Russian state Rossiya-Kultura TV channel, news website KP.ru, news website ZhurDom, the Russian Photo website and Sputnik News Agency and Radio.