Russian photographer banned from collecting prize in EU

Moscow has condemned World Press Photo’s decision to “cancel” the TASS journalist as disgraceful discrimination

The World Press Photo Foundation has blocked the winner of its 2025 contest, Mikhail Tereshchenko, from attending next month’s awards ceremony in Amsterdam, after anti-government activists complained that a Russian journalist had been praised for covering protests in Georgia.

Tereshchenko, who has been a TASS staff photographer since 2017 and is known for his expressive imagery, was recognized for a photo series documenting mass anti-government protests in Georgia last year.

The jury, judging his work anonymously, praised the series for highlighting the “use of fireworks as a new urban weapon” and for capturing the dynamics of “democratic movements.” However, when the author’s identity was revealed, activists claimed they were “worried and offended” by the recognition of a Russian state media photojournalist.

World Press Photo admitted that “the authenticity of the photographs themselves, and the events they document are not in question” – but caved to activist pressure and announced on Friday that “Mikhail Tereshchenko is no longer invited to the winners programme and the award ceremony in Amsterdam.”

“Given the increased tensions on the European continent, at this stage we are no longer able to facilitate a guest from a state-controlled Russian organisation.”

Moscow denounced the move as politically motivated discrimination, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova calling it “a self-inflicted wound” on World Press Photo’s reputation.

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“This is such a disgraceful [excuse] that they would be better off staying silent. The question arises: will only photographs with neutral subjects – nature, flowers, butterflies – be accepted for the competition?” she wrote on Telegram on Saturday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the move “defies common sense and goes against the spirit of journalistic solidarity.” Meanwhile, the head of the State Duma’s International Affairs Committee, Leonid Slutsky, labeled the decision “cancel culture,” accusing Europe of discriminating against Russians “on the basis of their ethnicity.”

Established in 1955, the World Press Photo Foundation is widely regarded as the world’s most prestigious photojournalism competition, with the stated mission to “connect the world to the stories that matter.” Zakharova noted that TASS photographers have received more than 25 World Press Photo awards between 1956 and 1992.