Czech Press Photo is a prestigious photography competition followed by a photographic exhibition. The selected collection of images provides a clear and comprehensive overview of the most significant events of the past year, as captured by the best Czech photojournalists. The photographers document a wide range of topics, from news and current affairs to art, portraits, sports, and nature.
The aim of the competition is to present independent and authentic visual testimony about life around the world through the eyes of Czech professional photographers. It seeks to provide the public with insight into important moments not only in politics, culture, or sports, but also from everyday life over the past year. The competition also strives to stimulate the development of photography as an independent medium. Czech Press Photo supports interest in photojournalism as a tool for human understanding and communication.
Since 2021, the Czech Press Photo exhibition has been held at the National Museum in Prague.
The submitted works are judged and the winning photographs selected by an international jury composed of photographers, photo editors, curators, journalists, and other experts in photography and visual communication. The jury consists of 5–7 members and changes every year. Past jury members have included Frank Fournier, Christopher Morris, Anne Cartier-Bresson, Goran Tomasevic, and Antonín Kratochvíl.
Photograph of the Year
The title Photograph of the Year is the main award of the competition. It is given to the photograph that the international jury rates the highest in terms of journalistic value – including timeliness, informativeness, impact, and responsiveness. The winning image must also have outstanding aesthetic quality and represent a significant issue of the year.
Photograph of the Year:
- 2023 Petr David Josek - Athletics at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games
- 2023 Roman Vondrouš - Riots at the Court
- 2022 Vojtěch Dárvík Máca - Massacre in Irpin and Bucha, April 2022
- 2021 Petr Topič – Destruction, June 25, 2021
- 2020 Roman Vondrouš – Disinfection, September 9, 2020
- 2019 Lukáš Bíba – Protest Against Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, June 23, 2019
- 2018 Lukáš Zeman – Orangutan Mother with Dying Infant, May 11, 2018
- 2017 Martin Bandžák – Celebration of Victory Over Israel, May 25, 2017
- 2016 Michal Šula – Protests Against the Visit of the Chinese President, March 28, 2016
- 2015 Jan Zátorský – Refugees at the Hungarian-Serbian Border, September 16, 2014
- 2014 Filip Singer – The Beginning, Kyiv – Ukraine, November 30, 2013
- 2013 Michal Kamaryt – David Rath, Accused of Corruption, Arrives at Court, August 27, 2013
- 2012 Milan Jaroš – Farewell to Václav Havel, December 18, 2011
- 2011 Stanislav Krupař – Riots in the Šluknov Region, 2011
- 2010 Martin Bandžák – Girl Hospitalized with Injuries to Her Eye and Face After Earthquake, February 7, 2010
- 2009 President Barack Obama in Prague, April 5, 2009
- 2008 David W. Černý – Mass Car Crash on the D1 Highway, March 20, 2008
- 2007 Dan Materna – Child Eviction, January 16, 2007
- 2006 Michal Čížek – What Now – High-Level Political Meeting After Elections, June 6, 2006
- 2005 Václav Jirsa – XII Paralympic Games Athens, Erich Winkler, Bronze Cyclist, September 2004
- 2004 Jan Rybář – The Pain of Beslan, September 7, 2004
- 2003 Ibra Abrahimovič – The Story of Farmer Rajtler. Jan Rajtler with Young Vašík in the Meadows of Mrzlice, October 2002
- 2002 René Jakl - Last Moments of Elephant Kadir in the Flooded Prague Zoo, August 13, 2002
- 2001 Michal Novotný - Children of Fire Captain Timothy Stackpole at Coney Island Funeral in New York, September 2001
- 2000 Jaroslav Kučera – Stones and Violence Against Globalization, Lumírova Street, Prague, September 26, 2000
- 1999 Jan Šibík - Kosovar Mother Stopped at the Macedonian Border, Blace, March–April 1999
- 1998 David Neff – Romani Mother Mourning the Death of Her Children Who Drowned in the Floods in Jarovnice, Eastern Slovakia, July 1998
- 1997 Petr Josek - Dog Swimming Through a Flooded Street in Uherské Hradiště, July 11, 1997
- 1996 The Photograph of the Year was not awarded due to a lack of funding
Unofficial Photograph of the Year: Jaroslav Jiřička – Karel Poborský, Hero of the Czech National Football Team at the European Championship
- 1995 Jan Šibík - Rwandan Refugee, Katala Camp, Summer 1994
PRAGUE GRANT
The now-traditional PRAGUE GRANT, a year-long creative scholarship awarded by Prague City Hall for capturing the transformations of the Czech capital, has become a kind of a “second main prize” in the contest. The grant is awarded by the Mayor of Prague in person. This has contributed to the creation of a large collection of pictures documenting Prague and its development. The Prague Grant helps both maintain a testimony of the current transformations of the city and encourage photographers to stick with Prague-related topics in the long term. After many years of existence of the grant, the City Hall has collected a set of photographs that make it possible to follow and evaluate Prague’s transformations from many different angles and points of view.
Grand holders:
- 2024 Petr Topič - In Casual Way(zobrazit v galerii)
- 2023 Vít Šimánek - The Changing Face of Prague(zobrazit v galerii)
- 2022 Kevin V. Ton - Urban Development in the Metropolis(zobrazit v galerii)
- 2021 Petr Vrabec - Periferie Prahy(zobrazit v galerii)
- 2020 Amos Chapple - Prague rooftop creatures (see in the gallery)
- 2019 Jan Rasch - Prague panopticon (see in the gallery)
- 2018 Tomáš Vocelka - Prague towers (see in the gallery)
- 2017 Matěj Dereck Hard - My Prague Living (see in the gallery)
- 2016 Jiří Šebek – Temples of new age (see in the gallery)
- 2015 Frouz Martin – Repair and surveying of historical buildings in Prague (see in the gallery)
- 2014 Glos Hynek – Disappearing industrial buildings in Prague (see in the gallery)
- 2013 Eduard Erben – 80 and over and we still live for sport (see in the gallery)
- 2012 Novák Tomáš – Prague outskirts
- 2011 Dvořáková Alena, Viktor Fischer – The city and water
- 2010 Vondrouš Roman – Prague residential estates
- 2009 Jaroš Milan – Life for disabled people in Prague
- 2008 Sidorják Martin – Cyclists in Prague
- 2007 Zatorsky Jan – Living with trains
- 2006 Kyndrová Dana – Non-profit organisations and the deprived in Prague
- 2005 Cudlín Karel – Unconventional culture in Prague
- 2004 Schejbal Jan – Life on the edges of Prague
- 2003 Stein Štěpánka, Issa Salim – Prague’s Karlín district
- 2002 Slavík Herbert – Prague personalities
- 2001 Křenek Jiří – Suburbia
- 2000 Kracíková Maria – Prague train stations
- 1999 Rudinská Libuše – Different Praguers
- 1998 Cudlín Karel – Buildings and people
- 1997 Kuklík Karel – The city and countryside around it
- 1996 Ságl Jan – Prague architecture
- 1995 Kučera Jaroslav – Prague is also like this…
AWARDS
You will find a detailed overview of the categories and the specific rules at the Contest Rules page. Rules.
RULES
You will find a detailed overview of the categories and the specific rules at the Contest Rules page. Rules.
