The website Politics and Culture of Ukraine (PiK Ukrainy) reports that the Kyiv photographer Gleb Garanich has become the winner of the most authoritative contest in the sphere of photojournalism, the World Press Photo of the Year. The Ukrainian photo reporter of the Reuters news agency won the third prize in the Spot News Singles category for his photo made in the Georgian city of Gori (see photo). It features a man hugging his dead brother who was killed when the Russian aviation bombarded the city during the August armed conflict between Russia and Georgia.
Garanich’s reporting from Gori had previously sparked a row — some Russian mass media had accused him of staging the situation and falsified an interview with him. In response the Reuters news agency had to publish the original photos to it was real. The main prize of this year’s competition went to the American photographer Anthony Suau for the photo he made for Time magazine. The results of the competition were publicized on the official site of the World Press Photo. Over 5,500 photographers from 124 countries of the world took part in the contest. The awards ceremony will take place in Amsterdam on May 2. The World Press Photo Contest has been held annually since 1955. The work by British photographer Tim Hetherington featuring a tired soldier was the best photo of 2007.
