Updated Feb. 14
British photographer
Tim Hetherington has won the 51st World Press Photo of the Year award for a shot of a tired U.S. soldier in Afghanistan, resting after soldier from his platoon was injured.
Hetherington shot the image Sept. 16, 2007 in the Korengal Valley while on assignment for
Vanity Fair. His Afghanistan story was also awarded 2nd place in General News Stories.
The World Press Photo jury announced its decisions Friday in Amsterdam. Other big winners include
John Moore of Getty Images, who won first place in both spot news categories for his coverage of the
Benazir Bhutto assassination; and
Balazs Gardi, who won first place in both general news categories for photographs from Afghanistan. Gardi is represented by newly established
VII Network.
Hetherington got news of his award as he was traveling back from an assignment in the South Pacific nation of Palau. The trim back to New York involved several stops. "Every time the plane laned, the phone would start ringing," Hetherington said in an interview Tuesday.
He said he was pleased and delighted by honored by the recognition, and is open to the discussion that it has provoked.
"In some ways the image doesn't belong to me after a while. It becomes the subject of discussion and debate, and you have to let go of it," he says.
Hetherington broke the recent trend of World Press Photo juries favoring breaking news photos over magazine stories. The top prize had gone to wire service photographers four years in a row.
In a year when no one story dominated the news, Hetherington's evocative, nearly monochromatic photo shows how an ongoing conflict with no definite end affects the individual.
"This image shows the exhaustion of a man - and the exhaustion of a nation," said jury chairman
Gary Knight, chairman of VII Photo, in a press release. "We're all connected to this. It's a picture of a man at the end of a line."
Time director of photography
MaryAnne Golon added, "I use all my energy to have people notice bad things. There's a human quality to this picture. It says that conflict is the basis of this man's life."
Hetherington was injured in a fall while working in Afghanistan; he has recovered enough to return to work. Hetherington has been covering a single company of soldiers in Iraq for as part of a year-long project, during which the winning image was taken. He intends to return in April.
He and
Vanity Fair contributing editor
Sebastian Junger described their work in Afghanistan in an
online video published with their January 2008 story, "
Into the Valley of Death."
"As a cameraman, as a photojournalist I need to be close to where the action is happening," Hetherington said, quoting
Robert Capa's famous words of advice, "If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough."
The World Press Photo contest attracted a record number of participants, with 5,019 photographers, up 12.5 percent over last year. Eighty percent chose to enter their work online; they submitted a total of 80,536 images.
First place winners in other categories are:
People in the News singles: Yonathan Weitzman, Israel
People in the News stories: Philippe Dudouit, Switzerland, for Time magazine
Sports Action singles: Ivaylo Velev, Bulgaria, Bul X Vision Photography Agency
Sports Action stories: Tim Clayton, Australia, Sydney Morning Herald
Sports Features singles: Andrew Quilty, Australia, Oculi for Australian Financial Review Magazine
Sports Features stories: Erik Refner, Denmark, Berlingske Tidende
Contemporary Issues singles: Brent Stirton, South Africa, Reportage by Getty Images for Newsweek
Contemporary Issues stories: Jean Revillard, Switzerland, Rezo.ch
Daily Life singles: Justin Maxon, USA, Aurora Photos
Daily Life stories: Pieter ten Hoopen, The Netherlands, Agence Vu
Portraits singles: Platon, UK, for Time magazine
Portraits stories: Vanessa Winship, UK, Agence Vu
Arts and Entertainment singles: Ariana Lindquist, USA
Arts and Entertainment stories: Rafal Milach, Poland, Anzenberger Agency
Nature singles: Fang Qianhua, China, Nangfang Dushi Daily/Southern Metropolis Daily
Nature stories: David Liittschwager, USA, National Geographic Images
A complete list of winners and photo gallery is online at
worldpressphoto.org.
Related links
World Press Photo gallery
Tim Hetherington
Vanity Fair slide show
Related stories
Dec. 28, 2007: "It Was Mayhem": Photographer Witnessed Benazir Bhutto Attack
Feb. 9, 2007: Spencer Platt Wins World Press Photo Award
Feb. 10, 2006: Reuters Image From Niger Is World Press Photo Of The Year
Feb. 11, 2005: Arko Datta of India Wins World Press Photo of the Year
Feb. 13, 2004: Jean-Marc Bouju Wins Top World Press Award
