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. 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 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." Tom Hetherington was injured in a fall while working in Afghanistan; he has recovered enough to return to work.
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.