World Press Photo award goes to assassination picture
February 13, 2017
Burhan Ozbilici's image was captured in the seconds after the assassination of Andrey Karlov, then Russia's ambassador to Turkey. Karlov was shot at an art gallery in Ankara in December 2016. The image depicts the rage and fury of the gunman, policeman Mevlut Mert Altintas, while the ambassador's body lies lifeless in the background.
Jury chair Stuart Franklin called Ozbilici's image "an incredibly hard-hitting news photograph," AP reported. The photo went viral around the world following the assassination.
Hard to choose
The judges of the World Press Photo Foundation in Amsterdam praised the courage of photographer Ozbilici, but also said they had a difficult time selecting the winning image. More than 80,000 pictures by over 5,000 photographers from 125 countries were submitted.
According to the foundation's website, "whether entered as singles or stories, these pictures are judged in terms of their accurate, fair, and visually compelling insights about our world." The prize, which is accompanied with a prize of 10,000 euros ($10,600), was awarded for the 60th time this year.
Prizes also went to other photographers in various categories, with the prize-winning images to go on show in a traveling exhibition to 45 countries. They will also published in a yearbook.
als/kbm (AP, dpa, AFP)