"This is a great opportunity for young photographers to show their work to a professional jury and to compare their qualifications with photographers from five continents. Contests like these help us improve as photographers, help us hone our skills. A distinctive feature of this year’s contest is that more than 60% of the submissions are color photographs, which corresponds with the contest categories," Rossiya Segodnya Director of Photography Alexander Shtol was quoted as saying by the press service.
Young photographers from five continents are taking part in the contest, among them photojournalists from the United States, Brazil, Peru, Australia, Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Egypt, India and China, among others.
The jury comprises leading international photojournalists, including Associated Press Deputy Director of Photography Denis Paquin and Xinhua News Agency Vice Director of the Photographic News Department Zheng Wei.
The jurors will select the best entries in five categories – "My Country," "World Colors. Harmony of Life," "Portraits: A Hero of Our Time," "Breaking News" and "Sports" – and award the top prize of almost $7,000 to the overall best entry.
The contest looks to discover new talents in photojournalism and push the boundaries of documentary photography. Last year, it attracted about 5,000 entries from 54 countries.