Canon Europe, a leader in imaging solutions, today sends its congratulations to Burhan Ozbilici winner of the World Press Photo of the Year. The winning photograph depicts the shooting of the Russian ambassador to Turkey, Andrey Karlov, at an art gallery in Ankara, Turkey.

The World Press Photo Contest, now in its 60th year, is internationally seen as the world’s most prestigious competition for photojournalists. The judges of the contest, which has been sponsored by Canon since 1992, selected one image out of a total of 80,408 photos submitted by 5,034 professional photographers from 125 countries as the winning Photo of the Year. There were 8 themed categories open for contestants to enter this year.

“We are proud to support the World Press Photo in its 60^th year of celebrating the outstanding visual storytelling abilities of photojournalists around the world,” comments Kieran Magee, Director, Professional Imaging, Canon Europe. “Images such as Ozbilici’s are stark reminders of the tough conditions people in this industry face, but also celebrates their bravery in capturing the important stories that need to be told, which is why we have been sponsoring this competition for the past 25 years.”

Burhan Ozbilici captured his winning image on the Canon EOS 5D Mark III and EF24‑105mm f/4L IS USM lens. The winning photograph also won first place in the Spot News category. Other category winning entries taken on Canon cameras include:

• Contemporary Issues category: ‘Taking a stand in Baton Rouge’ shot by Jonathan Bachman with a Canon EOS-1D X and EF16‑35mm f/2.8L II USM lens in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
• Daily Life category: ‘The Silent Victims of a Forgotten War’ shot by Paula Bronstein, with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III in Kabul, Afghanistan
• Spot News category: ‘Pakistan Bomb Blast’ shot by Jamal Taraqai with a Canon EOS 700D in Quetta, Pakistan
• General News category: ‘Offensive on Mosul’ shot by Laurent van der Stockt with a Canon EOS 5D Mark II and EF24‑105mm f/4L IS USM lens in Mosul, Iraq
• Sports News category: ‘Grand National Steeplechase’ shot by Tom Jenkins with a Canon EOS‑1D X and EF24‑70mm f/2.8L II USM lens in Liverpool, Great Britain
• People category: ‘009-war’ shot by Magnus Wennman with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III and TS‑E45mm f/2.8 lens in Debaga refugee camp, Iraq.
• Nature category: ‘Caretta Caretta Trapped’ shot by Francis Pérez with a Canon EOS 5D Mark III and EF15mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

As winner of the World Press Photo of the Year, Burhan Ozbilici will receive a cash prize of €10,000 from World Press Photo at an awards ceremony in Amsterdam on 22^nd April, 2017. In addition, Canon Europe will award him with a selection of Canon products.

The prize-winning pictures are presented in an exhibition visiting 95 cities in over 45 countries over the course of the year and seen by more than 3.5 million people worldwide. This year’s first 2017 World Press Photo exhibition opens in Amsterdam on 14th April. This year’s exhibition displays will be printed on Canon large-format and Arizona flatbed printers.

In addition, in partnership with World Press Photo a series of lectures entitled “Reflections” will run in cooperation with universities across Europe telling the story of professional photo journalism and the power of photography.

Further information about WPPF is available at www.worldpressphoto.org

For more great stories from Canon Professional users, visit www.canon-europe.com/pro/

To download the World Press Photo Press Kit, visit: https://www.worldpressphoto.org/press