Auckland, New Zealand – June 15, 2011: Getty Images’ photojournalists have been recognised for their outstanding work at this year’s Best of Photojournalism 2011 Awards. New Zealand photographer Scott Barbour from Getty Images, was awarded first place in the Sports Picture Story category for his photographic essay on the 2010 Australian Open at Melbourne Park.

Cameron Spencer from Getty Images Australia was awarded Sports Photojournalist of the Year for his portfolio covering a wide range of sports events, including triathlons, mountain climbing, Olympics and the soccer World Cup. Mark Dadswell, also from Getty Images Australia, was awarded second place in the same category.

The Best of Photojournalism Awards is a National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) initiative and is one of the world’s largest and most prestigious photojournalism contests. Its goal is to recognise the world’s best in photojournalism, as the profession evolves to include multimedia content, as well as stills photography.

Stuart Hannagan, Getty Images’ Vice President, Australasia and Director of Photography, Asia Pacific commented: “We are extremely proud to have so many of our photographers recognised by the NPPA, one of the world’s largest and most prestigious photojournalism contests. These awards are testament to the dedication and skill of our photographers who continue to push boundaries and produce powerful, ground-breaking imagery of the highest quality. In the shifting landscape of photojournalism, it is a thrill to see Getty Images’ Australian and New Zealand photographers leading the field of sports photojournalism and being acknowledged for their exceptional work.”

Commenting on his award win, Cameron Spencer said: "Photographing sport is my passion and I love the constant challenge, the variety and witnessing dynamic and dedicated athletes pushing the boundaries physically. 2010 was a year of major sporting events, with the Winter Olympics in Canada, The Football World Cup in South Africa, The Commonwealth Games in India and the Asian Beach Games in Oman. I was fortunate enough as a staff photographer with Getty Images to attend all of these events and record the best athletes in the world achieving greatness. With opportunities everywhere for great pictures, it was a dream year for a sports photographer and I am grateful for the recognition with the NPPA Sports Photojournalist of the Year Award, showcasing my favourite images in a portfolio from these events abroad and also from sporting events back home in Australia.”
You can download a copy of the winning images here.

Getty Images’ photographers also won awards in the following categories:

General News: Chip Somodevilla, first place and Win McNamee, third place.
Domestic News Picture Story: Antonio Bolfo from Reportage by Getty Images, first place.
International News Picture Story: Athit Perawongmeth, second place.
Best Published Picture Story: Daniel Berehulak, third place and Sebastian Liste from Reportage by Getty Images, honourable mention.
Enterprise Picture Story: Ed Ou from Reportage by Getty Images, honourable mention.
The Road to Office: Matt McClain, honourable mention.

About Getty Images
Getty Images is one of the world’s leading creators and distributors of still imagery, footage and multimedia products, as well as a recognized provider of other forms of premium digital content, including music. Getty Images serves business customers in more than 100 countries and is the first place creative and media professionals turn to discover purchase and manage images and other digital content. Its award-winning photographers and imagery help customers produce inspiring work which appears every day in the world’s most influential newspapers, magazines, advertising campaigns, films, television programs, books and Web sites. Visit Getty Images at www.gettyimages.co.nz to learn more about how the company is advancing the unique role of digital media in communications and business, and enabling creative ideas to come to life.

ENDS

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