POY Latam was created by Loup Langton and Pablo Corral Vega in 2011 to celebrate excellence in documentary and artistic photography in Ibero-America. It has become the largest and one of the most important competitions in the region. POY Latam is not for profit and seeks to reach the general public through the organization of the contest, exhibitions, workshops and publications. Unlike most other contests, the judging is transparent and broadcast live.

 

The Founders

 

Pictures of the Year (POY) was created in 1944 by the School of Journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia, whose photojournalism program is the oldest in the world and one of the most respected. Each year thousands of photographers document the news, political trends and themes that capture our interest. POY (now POYi, Pictures of the Year International) celebrates the work of visual journalists and publishers, and defines world-quality standards.

POYi’s mission is to disseminate the best in documentary photography and to offer a visual portrait of our societies as well as to enhance our understanding of the essential issues facing humanity. POYi is used as a tool for education. It offers seminars, workshops, organizes exhibitions and publishes books. Its visual archive of more than 35,000 images contains the most important photos of the last seven decades.

POYi is a program of the Donald W. Reynolds Institute of the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Journalism. POYi and the Reynolds Institute share the goal of bringing journalism closer to citizens and improving the practice and understanding of journalism.?