The winning photographs of Local Testimony, the photojournalism competition, are on view together with the prestigious international exhibition World Press Photo at the Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv until January 20, 2018 

This year 280 photographers submitted over 7,000 photographs to the preliminary contest. An independent jury, comprising leading professionals in the sphere of photography, curatorship and the media selected the work of 65 photographers: 207 photographs and five video clips covering seven categories: news, nature and the environment, religion and faith, society and community, sports, urbanism and culture, and the photographed story. The photograph of the year and the series of the year were chosen from this selection. The exhibition reflects the reality of our region and notable media events that transpired over the past year, alongside events which bear profound social and human importance.

The 2018 jury included Zachi Becker, representative of the Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv, Dor Gaz, artist, head of the MFA program, the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Sagit Zaloof Namir, photographer, artist and lecturer, Mark Yashayev, photographer and artist, Ilan Yitzhayek, editor- in-chief of the Xnet website of Yedioth Ahrononth, Atta Awisat, photojournalist, Hanna Shaviv, photographer, artist and lecturers, Ami Steinitz, curator of Local Testimony 2007 and 2008, and Vardi Kahana, member of the Local Testimony editorial board and exhibition curator. The initiator and director of the exhibition is Dana Wohlfeiler-Lalkin.

Vardi Kahana, member of the editorial board who curated the exhibitions in 2014 and 2015 was called upon to curate the exhibition this year following the untimely death of the late Micha Kirshner, the exhibition curator. Alongside the photojournalism exhibition, a special exhibition will be held in memory of the late Micha Kirshner, who was a groundbreaking photographer and admired teacher, who exhibited remarkable landmarks in his illustrious career and over time became icons in Israeli culture.

"Local Testimony" is a unique platform for presenting photojournalism and documentary photography in a different way from the accepted media. During the days of the exhibition, additional events will be held at the museum, which will enable a closer look at the exhibition's images and documentary photography in general. Gallery talks with curator Vardi Kahana, seminars with exhibitors, weekly training and more, as well as a special event in memory of Micha Kirshner z "l (all meetings / tutorials / gallery talks - included in the price of admission).

Partners and supporters of the exhibition: Ynet, Tel Aviv Municipality, Ofek aerial photography, Samsung and Canon companies.

Photo of the Year

NOAM MOSKOWITZ

Evacuation of Amona. Security forces break open the synagogue doors. Amona, 2 February 2017

Members of the jury, on the selection of the picture of the year, Sagit Zaluf-Namir: "this is a choice that points to our disillusionment with the reported role of photography, to which awareness of its power has been added as a structure of reality and the shaping of an opinion. This photograph reveals, inter alia, the double view: on the one hand reality as a game against a camera, Grab the moment "and expose this mechanism, expose the backstage of that reality."