The Rencontres d’Arles festival might be attracting more photojournalists each year - VII Photo made its first official trip to Arles this year - but come 29 August, Perpignan will reclaim its title as the world’s centre of photojournalism when Visa Pour l’Image comes back for its 23rd edition.

This year, the festival will present 24 exhibitions by photographers Jocelyn Bain Hogg of VII Network, Martina Bacigalupo of Agence Vu and Jonas Bendiksen from Magnum Photos, as well as Cédric Gerbehaye, Peter Dench, Chien- Chi Chang, João Silva, Valerio Bispuri and Getty Images’ Álvara Ybarra Zavala and others.

Shaul Schwarz will also be on show presenting his take on the consequences of the Narco Culture in Latin America. “While death statistics have been documented ad nauseam, far less has been said about the broader social reality created by the drug trade,” says the photographer. “For many, narco traffickers provide the only models of fame and success.”

The festival’s director, Jean-François Leroy, also selected photographer Brian Skerry of National Geographic for his series Ocean Soul, which shows the ocean as a place of “beauty and mystery, a place in trouble, and ultimately, a place of hope that will rebound with proper attention and care”.

Also on show will be photographers Barbara Davidson, Fernando Moleres, Lu Nan, Pierre Terdjman, Bertrand Gaudillère and Issouf Sanogo. As with previous years, the festival will stay close to this year’s world events, presenting Yuri Kozyrev’s extensive coverage of the Arab Revolutions.

The photojournalists Tim Hetherington and Chris Hondros will be remembered in a memorial event organised in collaboration with Getty Images - both photographers were killed in April while covering the ongoing Libyan conflict.

Meanwhile, the photojournalism magazine Days Japan has been invited to curate a special exhibition recounting the natural and nuclear disasters that struck the peninsula on 11 March, claiming the lives of more than 16,000 people.

The exhibitions will be rounded up with talks, seminars and evening projections, showcasing a year of reportages. Visa will also present awards organised in partnership with organisations such as France 24, FNAC, the International Committee of the Red Cross, Elle and Getty Images, which will see photojournalists receive more than $175,000 in grants and awards.

Visa Pour l’Image takes place in Perpignan, France from 29 August to 11 September. BJP's news and online editor will be at the festival and will file exclusive reports and interviews. Stay tuned.