‘Life Won’t Stop’… Picture of Omdurman bridegroom puts Sudanese photographer in running for World Press Photo 2025 award

A picture by Sudanese photographer Mosab Abushama, taken using just a mobile phone, has been selected as one of the regional winners for African of the prestigious World Press Photo (WPP) Contest, which recognises and celebrates the best photojournalism and documentary photography of the previous year. The picture, entitled Life Won’t Stop, shows a bridegroom at his wedding in Omdurman in January, and illustrates how life in Sudan goes on, “despite the clashes and random shelling in the city”.

World Press Photo, based in Amsterdam in the Netherlands, today announced the winners of the 2025 contest, showcasing a selection of the world’s best photojournalism and documentary photography. Gathered from across 2024’s fast changing political and media landscape, the organisers say the photos invite viewers to step outside the news cycle and look more deeply at both prominent and less seen stories from across the world as well as look again at familiar events. “These works show the power of authentic photojournalism and documentary photography – offering space for reflection in times of urgency through visual excellence and dedication to accuracy.”

The picture by Mosab Abushama, which was selected in the ‘Singles Africa’ category this year, shows a bridegroom at his wedding on 12 January 2024 in Omdurman, a city under constant shelling and attacks from belligerents on both sides. He holds a pistol, and a shotgun leans against a wall behind him. In Sudan, announcing a wedding with celebratory gunfire is a tradition. The photo was taken with just a mobile phone camera, rather than professional equipment.

‘This wedding was a reminder of the joy of everyday life still possible amidst the tragedy and despair…’ – Photographer Mosab Abushama

“Despite the clashes and random shelling in the city, the wedding was a simple but joyous occasion with family and friends,” Abushama says. “The war in Sudan, which began in April 2023, brought horrors and displacement, forcing me to leave my childhood home and move to another part of the city. It was a time none of us ever expected to live through. Yet, this wedding was a reminder of the joy of everyday life still possible amidst the tragedy and despair.”

Africa jury

For the 68th edition of the contest, the awarded photographs were selected from 59,320 entries by 3,778 photographers from 141 countries. The regional contest model, launched in 2021, supports a great diversity of stories and storytellers from around the world. In total, 20 of the winners are local to the region in which their stories are from.

Sudan was also well represented within the Africa Jury for this year’s competition, which was chaired by veteran Sudanese photographer and educator Ala Kheir, whose work actively engages with his home country.

Kheir has been actively engaged with the Sudanese photography archives, researching, archiving, restoring, and exhibiting the work of photographers like Elsharif Aboud and Abbas Habiballah. He also has been involved in training and networking for photographers in Africa, notably with the Centres of Learning for Photography in Africa in Johannesburg, South Africa. This network brings together African platforms active in photography education, where the members exchange ideas and teaching methodologies, and also learn as trainers.

Currently, Kheir runs The Other Vision (TOV), a photography platform that focuses on photography education and training in Sudan, through which he assists young photographers and connects Sudanese artists to the rest of the continent. Through TOV, he engages with the public in an attempt to address social issues and change in Sudan.

‘With everything happening globally and across the continent, the responsibility feels even more significant. I am excited to engage with the entries and highlight the stories that deserve attention…’ – Ala Kheir, chair of the Africa Jury for this year’s World Press Photo competition

“I am truly honoured to have the opportunity to chair the Africa Jury and serve on the global jury for the 2025 World Press Photo contest,” Kheir says. “With everything happening globally and across the continent, the responsibility feels even more significant. I am excited to engage with the entries and highlight the stories that deserve attention.”

WPP has made great strides in evolving, and the regional models are helping to amplify a broader range of voices and stories. However, there remains a substantial gap on the African continent. I hope to see more African photographers participating and sharing their unique perspectives, telling their stories from a deeply personal and relevant point of view.

“Serving as a judge for the WPP 2025 is an exceptional opportunity to explore a diverse range of works by emerging artists from around the globe. It’s not only intellectually enriching but also deeply inspiring. This role allows for the discovery of fresh perspectives, fresh artistic practices, and unique themes that are often underrepresented or deserving of greater recognition. It is also a responsibility to uphold diversity, critical thinking, and inclusivity within the photographic community. It is both an honour and a privilege, as well as a meaningful duty.

“2024 was an incredibly difficult year. As someone from Sudan, I experienced the harsh realities of war and displacement firsthand. a profoundly devastating ordeal. I wish to see subtle and personal voices that reflect personal experiences, spaces and moments. offering intimate reflections and unique visual interpretations of the essence of ‘what it means to be a human’ in 2024,” he says.

Previous winners

In 2022, Sudanese photographer Faiz Abubakr Mohamed was named as the winner in the ‘singles’ category for Africa. Mohamed’s winning picture shows a woman protestor hurling a teargas cannister back at riot police during the pro-democracy protests in 2021.

In 2020, an image by Japanese Agence France-Presse (AFP) photographer Yasuyoshi Chiba of a young man, illuminated by mobile phones, reciting protest poetry while demonstrators chant slogans calling for civilian rule during a blackout in Khartoum on June 19 2019, was named as World Press Photo of the Year 2020, and created worldwide awareness of the plight, struggle, and indomitable spirit of the Sudanese people.

Announcement

The 2025 World Press Photo of the Year winner, and two finalists, will be announced at the press opening of the Flagship World Press Photo Exhibition 2025 at De Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and online simultaneously to media across the globe. Every winning photographer is eligible for the Photo of the Year award.

WPP says that this year, there will be more winning projects and photographers, growing from 33 total winners in 2024 to 42 this year. For the past three years, there has been one winning Single and one winning Story per region. Beginning in 2025, there will be three winners in each of these categories per region. There will also continue to be one Long-Term Project winner per region.

The World Press Photo of the Year and the two finalists will be announced on April 17 2025.

All 2025 World Press Photo Contest winners will receive a monetary prize of €1,000 and a physical award. Winners will also be included in the annual traveling exhibition and yearbook, be published on the World Press Photo website, invited to the Winners’ Program in Amsterdam. FUJIFILM GFX cameras and lenses will be awarded to the World Press Photo of the Year winner and two finalists. Additionally, the World Press Photo of the Year winner will receive a €10,000 cash prize.

(Sources: RD / World Press Photo / Ala Kheir )