The ‘first hug’, a photo of the old woman in the arms of a nurse in a nursing home in Brazil after months of isolation for Covid-19, brings the Danish photographer Mads Nissen the Photo Press Award the world in 2021. This work also won the first prize in the category of General news – single photo.
“First hug”, a photo of the old woman in the arms of a nurse in a nursing home in Brazil after months of isolation for Covid-19, brings the Danish photographer Mads Nissen the Photo Press Award the world in 2021. This work also won the first prize in the category of General news – single photo.
The first hug. (Author: Mads Nissen) The 2021 Photo Contest’s independent jury selected Mads Nissen’s “First Hug” as World Press Photo in 2021. The photo captures the moment when Mrs. Rosa Luzia Lunardi (85 years old) is in the arms of nurse Adriana Silva da Costa Souza at the Viva Bem nursing home, São Paulo City, Brazil, August 5, 2020. This was the first hug Rosa received in five months. Photographer Nissen shares about his photo: “For me, this is a story of hope and love in the most difficult times.” In March 2020, nursing homes across Brazil must close to prevent the Covid-19 pandemic. Millions of Brazilians cannot visit their loved ones living in nursing homes. Brazilian officials ask nursing home care workers to keep the necessary distance from those who are susceptible to infection. In that context, the authorities at the Viva Bem nursing home came up with the idea of a “hugging curtain”, allowing people to hug each other thanks to the protection of a transparent curtain. Photographer Kevin WY Lee, Creative Director and Jury member of the 2021 Photo Contest, said: “The iconic image of Covid-19 marks the most special moment in life in all of us. I see hurt, loved ones, loss, separation, death, and even life in a photograph.If you look at the photo long enough, you see wings : a symbol of struggle and hope “. This is the second time photographer Nissen has won the World Press Photo Award. He won this award in 2015. The 2021 photo contest includes many categories such as: contemporary issues, the environment, general news, long-term projects, nature, portraits, news … Here are some of the remarkable works that were honored in this year’s photo journalism competition. The award was announced on April 15. 
First Prize, single photo, in Contemporary Issues category: “Yemen: Famine, Another War Caused by War”, author: Pablo Tosco. Fatima and her son prepare nets to catch fish on Khor Omeira Bay, Yemen, February 12, 2020. Fatima has nine children and she raises them by fishing. Although armed conflict in Yemen devastated Fatima’s village, she decided to return. She uses the money selling fish to buy a boat and continues to make ends meet by fishing. 
First prize, photo reportage, in the category Environment: “Burning Pantanal”, author: Lalo de Almeida. Firefighters grappled with a fire on the farm São Francisco de Perigara, home to one of the largest purple parrot populations in the world. About 95% of the farm area, with much of its area preserved, was devastated by fire. In 2020, fire burned the Pantanal, the largest tropical swamp in the world, on a record scale. From January to October 2020, fire burned 4.2 million hectares of Pantanal. 
Second prize, single photo, in Contemporary Issues category: “Dr. Peyo and Mr. Hassen”, author: Jeremy Lempin. Ms. Marion (24 years old, a person with metastatic cancer) holds her son Ethan (7 years old) in her arms in the presence of “horse doctor” Peyo in a hospital in France, on November 30, 2020. “With Peyo, we strive to reinvent life at the end of life to fight and create an energy that accompanies families and caregivers,” said Peyo horse owner Hassen Bouchakour. . Animal-assisted therapies are being used in clinical settings, particularly psychotherapy and pain relief. Animals seem to be able to relieve anxiety, stress, have physical effects such as lowering blood pressure, improving heart rate and helping control pain. 
First prize, single photo, in the category Environment: “Sea lions in California with a mask”, author: Ralph Pace. An individual curious sea lion in California, USA, swims towards the mask at Breakwater diving area, on November 19, 2020. When a blockade to prevent Covid-19 went into effect in California, natural and outdoor landscapes with the presence of many wildlife species became the focus of local nomads. 
Third prize, single photo, in News category: “Wildfire”, author: Nuno Andre Ferreira. A baby is sitting inside a car near a forest fire at Oliveira de Frades, Portugal, September 7, 2020. At least 300 firefighters, 100 ground vehicles and 10 firefighters took part in the fire. 
First prize, single photo, in Nature category: “Saving a giraffe from a flooded island”, author: Ami Vitale. The photo shows an individual Rothschild giraffe transferred from the flooded Longicharo island to safety, on December 3, 2020. The Rothschild Giraffe is a subspecies of the northern giraffe and is classified as endangered.
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