The Grand Prize of the 43rd Hungarian Press Photo Contest, awarded by the National Association of Hungarian Journalists (MÚOSZ), went to Márton Mohos, while the André Kertész Grand Prize was awarded to Bea Kovács – it was announced on Tuesday at the press preview of the exhibition showcasing the contest entries.
Márton Mohos (24.hu) received the MÚOSZ Grand Prize for his photo series “From Ruling Party Member to Main Opposition Leader”, and Bea Kovács (freelancer) won the André Kertész Grand Prize, given for the best human-centered documentary photography, with her series “Until the Last Breath.”
This year, 282 photographers submitted 2,566 entries comprising a total of 7,438 images to the Hungarian Press Photo Contest, emphasized András Bánkúti, head of MÚOSZ’s Photojournalist Section.
The exhibition showcasing the winning and finalist works will be on view until August 31 at the Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center in Budapest. Additionally, an outdoor exhibition featuring selected winning works and series will open in Pécs on Thursday, added the main organizer.
Bánkúti also noted that all the images can be viewed on the contest’s website (sajto-foto.hu), and since 2009, users can search by photographer and topic. A new feature of this year’s exhibition is the inclusion of QR codes next to finalist series, allowing visitors to view all images in each series.
Tamás Szlukovényi, the jury president, praised the creators, saying:
“With the rise of artificial intelligence, the photography profession faces serious challenges, but this selection proves that AI cannot outdo natural intelligence.”
Among public media photojournalists, Tibor Illyés won first prize in the Sports Series category, third prize in the Sports Single category, and also received the CEWE Special Prize. In the Sports Single category, István Derencsényi took first place, Zsolt Czeglédi second, and Tamás Vasvári was awarded for best performance by a photojournalist working in the counties. János Vajda placed third in the Society and Documentary Photography (Single) category.
The Escher Károly Prize for the best news photo taken in Hungary was awarded to Viktor Veres (HVG/hvg.hu). The Móricz-Sabján Simon Prize for the best long-term project went to János Bődey (Telex). The Spar Hungary Sustainability Award was given to Zsolt Balázs (freelancer), and Erste Bank awarded three special prizes to Márton Koncz (Mediaworks), Tamás Kaszás (Index), and Márton Kállai (freelancer). Bálint Szajki (24.hu) received the Munkácsi Márton Prize for best portfolio and the Zoltán Szalay Prize for the best photojournalist under 30.
Category winners included:
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News and Event Photography: Viktor Veres
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Photo Report: Márton Mohos
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Everyday Life (Single): Gábor Bankó (444)
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Everyday Life (Series): Bálint Szajki
In the Portrait (Single) category, Attila G. Kovács (freelancer) won first place, while in the Portrait (Series) category, Bea Kovács came out on top.
In the Art (Single) category, Attila Polyák (Mediaworks) was the winner, while in the Art (Series) category, it was again Bálint Szajki.
In the Nature and Science (Single) category, Tímea Ambrus (freelancer) won, and in the series category, Bence Máté (freelancer) took first place.
In the Society and Documentary Photography (Single) category, Noémi Napsugár Melegh (Telex) won, while in the series category, Gábor Bankó took the top spot.
In Street Photography, Krisztián Bedynski (freelancer) won in the single image category, and Sándor Kelemen (freelancer) won for series.
The exhibition launch also marks the release of The Year in Pictures 2024, an annual photo album that has accompanied the contest for more than 30 years. The book includes all award-winning photographs and a curated selection by editor András Bánkúti, showcasing images from the past year’s most defining events. The Year in Pictures 2024 is available for purchase at the Capa Center.
A photograph by Frank Yvette, a photographer from Szegedi Nap, is also featured in the album. The image was taken during rehearsals of the Black Swan by the Szeged Contemporary Ballet and is also included in the exhibition.
We are proud of our colleague!
(MTI)
Photo: Frank Yvette
