Londoners recognised in World Press Photo contest

Leon Neal's photo of an Israeli security forces officer after the Hamas attack on the Supernova music festival was given a "special mention"

Two London-based photographers have been recognised in the World Press Photographer competition for 2024.

Aletheia Casey's collection of photos, A Lost Place, reflecting on climate change and wildfires in Australia, was selected as one of the winning entries by judges.

Leon Neal's photo of the aftermath of the Supernova Festival attack in Israel was given a "special mention".

The judges said the entries "document some of the most pressing issues facing the world today" and serve as "a reminder of the need for press freedom in all corners of the world".

An image from the winning collection, A Lost Place, by Aletheia Casey

The World Press Photo Contest recognises the best photojournalism and documentary photography.

A Lost Place was selected by judges for being an "innovative narrative on the climate crisis from a deeply personal angle".

The artist explained said the project conveyed her "personal feelings of frustration and horror" in response to the wildfires in Australia in 2019 and 2020.

Casey said her work was a "heartfelt reaction" to the global threat of wildfires

The photographer said: "I watched the news of the fires from cold and grey London, terrified of the inevitable outcome.

"Many years earlier I had been trapped in a wildfire in the Hunter Valley region and still remember the intense heat and the sound of the roaring flames.

"Thoughts of this fire reverberated through my mind as I made this work."

Mustafa Hassouna's photo of the impact of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza was also given a special mention

For the first time, judges awarded two photos with a special mention.

The panel said: “These two special mentions reflect the gravity of the Israel-Hamas war in 2023, the extreme suffering of civilians, and its global political impact."

Speaking about his photograph of an Israeli security forces officer searching the site of the Supernova music festival, Neal said: "I included this particular photo as I’ve attended and worked at many music events and festivals over the years, and the scene was one that I could recognise, albeit in a completely different situation."

He added: "I’m hugely honoured to have been selected and to feature among such incredible photojournalists and powerful work, not least of which the image by Mustafa Hassouna showing the other side of this conflict."

This is the first exhibition of the World Press Photo competition in London for seven years.

It runs at Borough Yards, SE1, from 3 May to 27 May.