Nepali photojournalist Shrestha's photograph of Nepal's main administrative building, Singha Durbar, burning after being set on fire during a Gen-G protest on Bhadra 24, has won first place in the 'Single' category in the West, Central and South Asia region of World Press Photo-026.
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Nepal's Narendra Shrestha has achieved historic success this year at the most prestigious 'World Press Photo' award among photojournalists around the world.
In the 71st year of this competition, which started in the Netherlands in 1955, Shrestha has won the 'Single' category from the West, Central and South Asia region . Shrestha's photo of the burning Singha Durbar, the main administrative building of Nepal, after being set on fire during the Gen-G protests on Bhadra 24, has won first place in the 'Single' category from the West, Central and South Asia region of World Press Photo-026. Competition among more than 3,700 photographers This year, 3,747 photographers from 141 countries around the world participated in the competition. Shrestha's photo was judged the best out of a total of 57,376 photos. He considers this the moment when his biggest dream came true in his 25-year career. A journey that began with the post office Shrestha recalls his old days when he started his career with Kantipur Publications, saying, 'Around 2000, we, 10-12 photographers, used to send photos through the post office. At that time, getting the annual book of 'World Press Photo' for participating was more important than the goal of winning an award.'
It is not that photos of major political changes and natural disasters in Nepal have not found a place in 'World Press Photo' before.
Although photos taken during the 2006 Jan Andolan and the 2015 earthquake won awards, they were mostly taken by foreign photographers.
'We are the first local photographers to arrive at the scene of an incident, but when a photo taken by a foreigner wins the award, there would be a kind of commotion,' says Shrestha, 'Today, a Nepali winning this award is a milestone for the entire Nepali photojournalism.'
Award distribution The formal distribution of this prestigious award will be held in the Netherlands on May 28. Along with the award, the winner will receive a cash prize of one thousand euros and other honors. For photojournalists around the world, receiving this award is considered a final wish and a matter of great pride.
