First Prize, Sports Action: This photo by
Malaysian Wei Seng Chen shows a jockey, his feet stepped into a harness
strapped to the bulls and clutching their tails, at the end of a
dangerous run across rice fields during the Pacu Jawi (bull race) - a
popular competition at the end of harvest season keenly contested
between villages in Batu Sangkar, West Sumatra, Indonesia
By
Matt Blake and Associated Press Reporter
They are the defining images of the world in 2012, each one reflecting a single, fleeting moment of a year gone by.
Whether
it is of the misery of a loved one killed by an enemy missile attack,
the overwhelming joy at winning Olympic gold, or the intimate devotion
of an elderly wife to her dying husband, each photograph provides a
fascinating snapshot of life on Earth.
The winners of the World Press Photo Awards, one of
photojournalism's most prestigious contests, were announced today, issuing awards in nine
categories to 54 photographers of 32 nationalities.
The
overall winner was Swedish photographer Paul Hansen for his picture of
two Palestinian children killed in an Israeli missile strike being
carried to their funeral.
WARNING: This story contains images that some readers may find distressing.
First Place: Henson's picture shows a group of
men marching the dead bodies through a narrow street in Gaza City. The
victims, a brother and sister, are wrapped in white cloth with only
their faces showing
The photo shows a group of men
marching the dead bodies through a narrow street in Gaza City. The
victims, a brother and sister, are wrapped in white cloth with only
their faces showing.
'The
strength of the pictures lies in the way it contrasts the anger and
sorrow of the adults with the innocence of the children,' said jury
member Mayu Mohanna of Peru. 'It's a picture I will not forget.'
Hansen’s November 20 shot won
top prize in both the spot news single photograph category and the
overall competition. It portrays two-year-old Suhaib Hijazi and her
three-year-old brother Muhammad, who were killed when their house was
destroyed by the Israeli attack. They are being carried by grieving
uncles, as their father Fouad was also killed, and his body can be seen
in the background of the picture.
The children’s mother, whose name was not provided, was in intensive care.
Torture: This image by Emin Ozmen, from Turkey,
in July last year won second prize in the Spot News Single category. It
shows Syrian opposition fighters torturing a suspected government
informant in Aleppo
First Prize, Nature Stories: Canadian Paul
Nicklen took this for National Geographic magazine. It shows Emperor
Penguins, tripling their swimming speed to 30kph by releasing millions
of bubbles from their feathers. These bubbles reduce the friction
between their feathers and the icy seawater, allowing them to accelerate
in the water
Activist to action: Stefen Chow of Malaysia, of
Smithsonian magazine, won the second prize in the People - Staged
Portraits Single category with this picture of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, above. And Russian Sergei Ilnitsky, for European Pressphoto Agency, won
second prize in the sports action category for this picture of Alaaeldin
Abouelkassem of Egypt (below, top) in action against Peter Joppich of Germany
during their Men's Foil Individual Round16 match at the London 2012
Olympic Games
'This prize is the highest honour you
can get in the profession,' Hansen said. 'I’m very happy, but also very
sad. The family lost two children and the mother is unconscious in a
hospital.'
'These
situations are so visually complex,' he added. 'It’s difficult to convey
the emotions, to translate what is happening. The light is harsh and
there are a lot of people.
'But
in the alley the light bounced off the walls, so I thought this is a
place where you can see that it’s a procession. ... You get the depth in
the image, and the bouncing light.'
First Place, General News Single: This photo by
Associated Press photographer Rodrigo Abd shows 'Aida' crying as she
recovers from severe injuries after the Syrian Army shelled her house in
Idlib north Syria. Aida's husband and and two children were killed
after their home was shelled
First Prize, Contemporary Issues: This photo by
American Micah Albert, for Redux Images, shows a woman taking a break
from working as a trash picker in Nairobi, Kenya in April 2012
First Prize, Daily Life Stories: Taken by
Italian Fausto Podavini, this picture shows a 71-year-old wife taking
care of her Alzheimer's stricken husband in Rome, Italy
Second Prize, Daily Life: Taken by Soren
Bidstrup, of Denmark, for Berlingske, shows a young family waking up
early on a summer holiday camping trip in Jeselo, Italy
Violence in the Middle East, and its effect upon civilians, was the dominant theme in the hard news categories.
The
Associated Press won eight awards in all, including top prizes for a
spot news series for Bernat Armangue of Spain for photos he took in Gaza
during November; and for Rodrigo Abd of Argentina for general news
single photograph, with a picture of a woman with a bloodstained face
weeping in Idib, Syria, on March 10.
She
was identified as Aida, and her photo of silent grief is in some ways a
reverse image of Hansen’s winning shot. She received severe injuries
when her house was shelled by the Syrian Army, killing her husband and
two children.
Third Prize People - Observed Portraits: Taken
by Ananda van der Pluijm, Netherlands, this shows the photographer's
brother Martin. She says: 'After living with his dad for ten years and
staying in a youth shelter, my half-brother Martin (18) returned home to
live with his mother again. He arrived with some clothes in a bag, no
work or graduation. I'm following him during this period to get to know
him again and record his developments
Second Prize, Observed Portrait Series: Spanish
bullfighter Juan Jose Padilla performs during a bullfight in the
southwestern Spanish town of Olivenza. It is one of a series of images
by Associated Press photographer Daniel Ochoa de Olza
In other categories, Wei Seng Chen of
Malaysia won in the sports singles category with a shot of what might
be considered a local 'extreme sport': a man clutching the tails of two
bulls as they pull him through a watery rice field in Batu Sangkar,
Indonesia.
The competition also includes portrait series, scenes from everyday life, and nature photography, among others.
The contest drew entries from professional press photographers, photojournalists and documentary photographers across the world. In all, 103,481 images were submitted by 5,666 photographers from 124 countries.
The competition also includes portrait series, scenes from everyday life, and nature photography, among others.
The contest drew entries from professional press photographers, photojournalists and documentary photographers across the world. In all, 103,481 images were submitted by 5,666 photographers from 124 countries.
Second Prize, Spot News: This picture by Italian
photographer Fabio Bucciarelli a Free Syrian Army fighter taking up a
position during clashes against government forces in the Sulemain Halabi
district in October 2012, Aleppo, Syria
Third Prize, General News: This picture by
Australian photographer Daniel Berehulak shows pine trees uprooted
during Japan's tsunami in 2011 lay strewn over the beach
Spot News: This photo by Associated Press
photographer Adel Hana shows Palestinian gunmen ride motorcycles as they
drag the body of a man who was killed earlier as a suspected
collaborator with Israel, in Gaza City
The photos were submitted anonymously
to a panel of 19 jury members, chaired by AP Director of Photography
Santiago Lyon, and judged in multiple rounds.
The winners were all 'stellar examples of first-rate photojournalism,' Lyon said.
Other
judges came from Germany, Iraq, Peru, France, Sweden, China, Britain,
Spain, Azerbaijan, South Africa, The Netherlands, Switzerland and the
U.S.
Honourable mention: This photo by Associated
Press photographer Altaf Qadrin shows underprivileged Indian children
attend a free school run under a metro bridge in New Delhi, India
Second Prize, Sprorts Action: This picture by
Russian photographer Sergei Ilnitsky Nicolas Limbach of Germany (L) in
action against Jingzhi Wang of China (R) during their Men's Sabre Team
Placement 5-6 match for the London Games
Third Prize, Contemporary Singles: This photo by
Associated Press photographer Emilio Morenatti shows Mireia Arnau, 39,
reacting behind the broken glass of her shop stormed by demonstrators
during clashes with the police at the general strike in Barcelona
Second Prize, Contemporary Issues: This photo by
Associated Press photographer Esteban Felix shows the bodies of Lesbia
Altamirano and Wilmer Orbera lying on the floor of a pool hall after
being attacked by unidentified masked assailants in Choloma on the
outskirts of San Pedro Sula, Honduras
No comments:
Post a Comment