The final winners have just been announced for the annual Hungarian Press Photo Competition. The list of recipients was made public in January, but the names of those awarded the two Grand Prizes have only just been released.
A showcase exhibition for the winning photos was planned for April in the Capa Centre, but due to coronavirus limitations, this has been postponed. The winners of the MÚOSZ Grand Prize and the André Kertész Grand Prize, also intended for a public ceremony, were announced today in an online video both in Hungarian and English.
The MÚOSZ Grand Prize was awarded to András Hajdú D. for his work titled The Wall We Call a Fence, and the André Kertész Grand Prize was received by Bea Kovács for her piece Coma Vigilant.
Bea’s work was named Best Human-Centred Documentary Photography for the André Kertész Grand Prize, and tells the story of Sándor Balkovics and his wife, Márti. The couple care for their daughter, Sári, who in 2016 was struck by a vehicle while walking over a zebra crossing. The girl succumbed to a waking coma, where she remains in a mental vegetative state, but awake. Her eyes open, but nothing is recognised. The parents must care for her constantly, which creates enormous amounts of stress, and they struggle to find ways to relax and recharge.
The MÚOSZ Grand Prize was awarded to András Hajdú D. for Best Representation of Society, under the Documentary category, for his work titled The Wall We Call a Fence.
For eight years in an area known as Nagybánya, resident Gypsies have been separated from the rest of the city by a wall. According to the deputy mayor, the place is unhealthy and riddled with crime, but advocates say the city is segregating residents. The Romanian state has also launched an investigation. The mayor contends that the wall, which is referred to as only a fence in communications, is the solution to a rough situation. He promised to finally resolve and improve the lot of many families by 2013, but seven years have already passed and the documentary shows how the government’s visions and promises have come to a dead end.
Over 2,000 entries were submitted this year to the MÚOSZ Press Photo Competition. The chairman of the international jury was Tamás Szlukovényi, with the other members including Daniela Mrazkova, Ron Haviv, Joao Silva and Ákos Stiller.
More information, along with conversations with the winners, can be found on the website.
