PCP member nominated for World Press Photo Awards

A member of the Photojournalists’ Center of the Philippines has been nominated for the 2019 World Press Photo awards for his picture of the drug war killings in the country.Ezra Acayan’s image of a man who was gunned down while at a wake in Quezon City was nominated in the “Spot News - Singles” category.

The photo - titled “The Death of Michael Nadayo” - shows the victim lying bloodied on the ground near his grandfather’s coffin.

“This recognition is for my brave colleagues who tirelessly continue to document this atrocity that is hurting our country,” Acayan said.

At 24, he is among the 43 photographers shortlisted across eight categories, which include Contemporary Issues, Environment and General News.

There were about 4,700 photographers from across the world who entered around 78,000 images this year for the world’s biggest and most respected photojournalism contest.

For almost three years now, Acayan has been documenting the country’s bloody campaign against illegal narcotics that claimed thousands of lives.

Last year, Acayan was awarded the prestigious Ian Parry Scholarship Award for his work in documenting the country’s bloody campaign against illegal narcotics.

He was also named Young Photographer of the Year at the Istanbul Photo Awards 2018.In the Philippines, Acayan was among the honorees of the 2018 SIKATO (Sigaw Para sa Katotohanan! Pagkilala sa Malayang Pamamahayag).

In 2017, he and colleagues at Reuters have been awarded a special merit at the Human Rights Press Awards for multimedia reporting on the drug war.

Acayan was also the 2017 “Photographer of the Year” in the International Photography Awards (IPA) Philippines for his work “Blood in the Streets”.