The World Press Photo exhibition will open at the Ballarat Mining Exchange, bringing the annual collection of award-winning photojournalism to regional Victoria.

The City of Ballarat confirmed the venue, one of the city's most recognisable nineteenth-century buildings, as the host site for the travelling exhibition. The Mining Exchange, once the centre of Ballarat's gold-era share trading, now functions as a heritage exhibition space in the heart of the city.

The World Press Photo exhibition presents the winners and finalists of the annual World Press Photo Contest, the most widely recognised competition in press photography. Each year the show travels from its Amsterdam base to cities around the world, giving audiences outside major capitals direct access to images that shaped the year's news coverage.

For Ballarat, hosting the exhibition continues the city's effort to position itself as a destination for significant photographic programming. The city has invested in photography in recent years through the Ballarat International Foto Biennale, which has drawn international artists and curators to the region since 2009.

The announcement positions the Mining Exchange alongside venues in larger metropolitan centres that regularly host the World Press Photo touring show. Exhibition dates and program details accompany the city's announcement, and visitors will be able to view the awarded works in the former trading hall's iron-and-glass interior.

The World Press Photo Foundation, based in Amsterdam, runs the contest annually and organises the worldwide tour of the winning entries. The exhibition's stop in Ballarat extends the foundation's reach into regional Australia, where audiences would otherwise need to travel to capital cities to see the collection.

The exhibition's arrival at the Mining Exchange signals the city's ongoing commitment to bringing international photographic work to western Victoria, with further programming expected around the show's run.