Awards

1st place: "Photojournalist of the Year, National"

Roman Pilipey has won first place in the prestigious "Photojournalist of the Year, National" category.

Ukrainian photojournalist, Roman Pilipey, currently serves as the photo coordinator for AFP in Ukraine. His photography career began as a freelancer for various Ukrainian news agencies and newspapers while studying journalism at one of Kyiv's universities.  In 2014, he joined EPA to cover events in Ukraine, and in 2017 relocated to Beijing, while still working for EPA. At the beginning of 2023, he started covering the Russian invasion in Ukraine for Getty before joining AFP. 

2nd place: "Sports Feature"

Brendan Smialowski receives the second place in the "Sports Feature" category.

Graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2003, Brendan Smialowski has been working for AFP since 2012. He is based in Washington, where he is accredited to the White House. Prior to this, he worked as a freelancer with wire services, newspapers, and magazines. Much of his work is politics based, both domestically and internationally. Throughout his career, he has covered sports, conflict, disaster, and human-interest stories. Smialowski is also the author of the cult photo that broke the internet on January 23, 2021, and launched a thousand memes of Bernie Sanders sitting cross-legged, arms folded and wearing mittens at Joe Biden’s inauguration.  

Honourable mention: "Science"

Jim Watson receives an honourable mention in the "Science" category.

Based in Washington, Jim Watson joined AFP in November 2001 after serving for 8 years as a photographer in the U.S. Navy, concluding his service at All Hands Magazine. Upon his hiring, Jim promptly leveraged his military experience to cover the Iraq War. After being based in London and travelling across Europe for numerous assignments, Jim returned to Washington as an AFP photographer assigned to the White House Press Corps. His work has been widely disseminated through numerous articles, magazines, and websites worldwide. In acknowledgment of his talent, he has also won numerous awards throughout his career.  

Honourable mention: "Science Story"

Chandan Khanna also receives an honourable mention in the "Science Story" category for his series “A Violent Storm”.

Several people died in the violent storms and tornado that hit the southern US state of Mississippi in March 2023, ripping off roofs and levelling neighbourhoods. 

Chandan Khanna began his career in 2013, and a year later, he started working for AFP. Since then, he has had the opportunity to work in several countries such as China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Jamaica, Croatia, Haiti, and now in the United States, where he is currently based in Miami.