02/09/07

AP photos capture six prizes in the World Press Photo competition

NEW YORK -- The Associated Press has won six World Press Photo prizes, the most of any news agency overall in this year's annual global award competition.

"I salute the winning AP photographers whose images captured a variety of scenes from around the world, demonstrating once again their incredible talent, courage, and perseverance," said AP Director of Photography Santiago Lyon.

World Press Photo organizers said 4,460 professional photographers from 124 countries entered 78,083 images for the competition. Photographers from a total of 23 countries won awards in the 10 theme categories.

Associated Press photographer David Guttenfelder won in the Daily Life Stories category with an atmospheric series of black and white images titled "The Lonely Man," shot in Tokyo.

AP photographer Oded Balilty won first prize in the People In the News Singles category with a shot of an Israeli settler struggling with an Israeli security officer.

Arturo Rodriguez took second prize for Spot News Singles with a shot of migrants waiting for transportation on the Spanish island of Tenerife. Rodriguez also took second prize in the People in the News Stories category with images of tourists helping migrants on a Tenerife beach.

In Spot News Singles, Mohammed Ballas won third prize for his photo of a public execution in the West Bank of a suspected collaborator.

In the Sports Action Singles category, Jeffrey Phelps took third prize for his AP photo of the aftermath of a play at home plate during a Milwaukee Brewers-San Francisco Giants baseball game.

See the AP's winning photos at 2007 World Press

Contact: Jack Stokes, AP Corporate Communications, 212.621.1720