Press releases and newsletter

Massoud Hossaini (30) from Afghanistan won first prize in the “International News” category for a photograph of a little girl dressed in green crying in the midst of the victims of an attack in Kabul on 6 December 2011 that left 80 dead and 150 wounded.

06/12/2012 - Kabul, Afghanistan- AFP / Massoud Hossaini

The photograph was also honoured this year by a Pulitzer Prize in the “Breaking News” category at the 69^th Pictures of the Year International and World Press Photo Award 2011.

Filipino Noel Celis won second prize in the “Political Crisis” category for an image of demonstrators sprayed by water canon at a student demonstration on 25 August 2011 in Manila whilst protesting against cutbacks in subsidies to universities and colleges.

American Nicholas Kamm won third prize in the “Natural Disaster” category for an image of a woman crying in front of the ruins of the town of Rikuzentakata, which was wrecked by the earthquake and tsunami that devastated this part of Japan on 19 March 2011.

German-Columbian Roberto Schmidt received an honourable mention in the “Natural Disaster Picture Story” category for his image of a Somali refugee waiting at a food distribution point with her daughter at the Dadaab refugee camp in North-East Kenya on 5 July 2011. Roberto Schmidt is a photographer working out of the Nairobi office and was called in as back-up to cover the conflict in Libya. In attempting to travel to the East of the country to meet opponents to Kadhafi regime, Schmidt was stopped and detained by Kadhafi forces with two of his colleagues.

François-Xavier Marit, photojournalist on secondment to the technical editor-in-chief, received an honourable mention in the “Sports Action” category for an image captured under water using a camera in a watertight casing. The image shows Briton Jenna Randall in a synchronised swimming competition on 20 July 2011 at the World championship in Shanghai.

Swedish Jonathan Nackstrand won second prize in the “Sports Feature” category for an image of French cyclist Arnaud Demare followed by team member Adrien Petit winning the Men under 23 race on 23 September in Copenhagen.