"Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in event of success." So began the small ad placed by the great Polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton at the start of the last century to recruit volunteers for his trek to the South Pole. He could just as well have been inviting people to help design, set up and launch a new photographic competition.

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Uncompromising and extraordinarily moving, Assignments - The Press Photographer's Year is a unique reflection of twelve months of world events, as seen through the eyes of some of the finest news photographers working today.

The Press Photographer's Year is an annual open competition showcasing the best press photography taken for and used by the UK print media, and is held in association with the British Press Photographer's Association (BPPA).

Assignments - The Press Photographer's Year is the centrepiece of the competition. Edited down from over 6,000 submissions by an independent jury of photographers and picture editors, it reflects the kaleidoscopic nature of the human experience and includes many previously unseen images.

Beginning with the aftermath of the Asian Tsunami, and ending with the trial of Saddam Hussein, 2005 witnessed events of major historic significance. From the death of the Pope to the London suicide bombings, from the Live 8 concerts to the marriage of Prince Charles, and from Tony Blair's historic third term victory to Hurricane Katrina and the devastating earthquakes in Pakistan, the world has been changed forever by the milestones, some tragic, some triumphant, of this eventful year. Assignments - The Press Photographer's Year records the news as it happens, where it happens.

This book demonstrates once again that, even in an age of rolling television news, internet and satellite communication, the traditional still image burns the keenest, fastest impression on the public conscience: the most effective way to show the world the world as it really is.

A major exhibition of the photographs from Assignments - The Press Photographer's Year will be held at the Lyttelton Circle Foyer of the National Theatre, South Bank, London in June 2006.