Filipino Photojournalist Misses Award Event After Denied Visa

(SPOT.ph) Filipino photojournalist Noel Celis was supposed to be celebrating a career milestone in Amsterdam for the 2025 World Press Photo Contest, but instead he found himself stuck in Manila after his visa application to the Netherlands was denied.

Celis was awarded for his photo series "Four Storms, 12 Days" in the Asia-Pacific and Oceania category. The series documented the aftermath of four consecutive typhoons—Kristine, Marce, Nika, and Ofel—that struck the Philippines in late 2024.

His work earned him a Golden Eye Award from World Press Photo, one of the most prestigious honors in photojournalism. Celis was selected by the jury out of 59,320 entries by 3,778 photographers from 141 countries.

Of his photographs, the jury said: “The classic edit includes photographs that juxtapose intimate moments with the broader scale of these storms, capturing both their personal impact and the wider consequences at the local and national scale. The combination of day- and night-time shots emphasize the relentless nature of these extreme weather events, maintaining a consistent aesthetic throughout.”

Despite the global recognition, Celis wasn’t able to receive the award in person.

Also read: Getty Images Names Ezra Acayan News Photographer of the Year for Asia-Pacific

Noel Celis on his denied visa to the Netherlands

In a Facebook post, the veteran photojournalist claimed that his Schengen visa application was rejected because of his freelance status. Since he was not attached to a formal news organization or publication, he said he could not provide some of the employment documents that are typically required for visa processing.

“So, dito lang ako sa Pilipinas habang nangyayari yung awarding ceremony ng World Press Photo sa Amsterdam. Kasi, freelancer ngayon, walang papers maipakita na empleyado ako sa Pilipinas na kailangan umuwi, baka daw mag TNT ako dun sa Amsterdam,” Celis lamented in the post. Still, for him, being able to showcase his photographs—and, by extension, the Filipino realities—to a global audience was already a form of success. “Sa isang banda, duon palang ay kuntento na ako. Makita ng mas buong mundo yung pictures, dun palang, accomplished na yung goal ko.”

Celis has built a career spanning over 20 years, covering some of the most critical moments in Philippine history and across Southeast Asia. His work has appeared in publications such as the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Thomson Reuters, Time, Manila Bulletin, and The Manila Times. One of his most notable projects was his coverage of the overcrowded conditions inside Quezon City Jail during the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, which earned him a World Press Photo award in 2017.

Also read: This Street Photographer's Shots Will Change the Way You See Manila