Hungarian photo reporter wins first prize at "World Press"

Photo reporter Zsolt Szigetváry has won first place at the "World Press Photo Contest" in the news photo sequence category with his photos taken in Budapest during the September assault on the national television headquarters and the October 23 riots. The winning photos, entitled "Almost Revolution" ("Majdnem forradalom"), can be seen here.

Szigetváry told emasa.hu that his aim with the black-and-white photos was to depict a "gloomy mood." "Photos of injured protesters and fights between demonstrators and police officers arrive at international editorial offices from all around the world every day. A jury that awards vision can better be convinced if a photographer conveys feelings," he explained. The reason he cropped the photos into a square form was that he wanted them to symbolize "military order" and "seriousness."

Szigetváry is the seventh Hungarian to win first prize at a category at the "World Press Photo Contest." He was born in Budapest in 1962. He studied engineering in Kecskemét for two years, but he felt he belonged elsewhere. He tried to win acceptance at a medical school for several years. From 1986, he worked for the dailies Népszabadság, Mai Nap and Pesti Hírlap. In 1990, he signed up with Magyar Hírlap. Since 2004, he has been a freelancer.

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