AFP Photographers Honoured at the 2024 POY Awards
Several AFP photographers have been honoured at the 82nd edition of the 2024 Pictures of the Year International (POY) awards, the world's oldest photojournalism competition, earning awards and special mentions across various categories.
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The works of these photographers have been recognised across several categories at the 2024 POY competition.
General News
Omar Al-Qataa was named a finalist in the General News category for his powerful image, captured on 23 April 2024. The photograph depicts Gazans scrambling to collect humanitarian aid packages that have been dropped over the northern Gaza Strip.
Spot News
Bashar Taleb received an Excellence Award in the Spot News category for a photograph taken at the Martyrs' Hospital of Al-Aqsa in central Gaza. The image shows a Palestinian mother gripping her child's shoulder as a man attempts to save him, following an Israeli bombing of a house in Nuseirat on 27 May 2024.
Sports Action
Anne-Christine Poujoulat was shortlisted as a finalist in the Sports Action category for an image taken during the 2024 Tour de France. Belgian cyclist Wout Van Aert is shown crashing while ascending the Col de Neronne during the 11th stage of the race on 10 July 2024.
Sports Life and Recreation
Luis Tato was named a finalist in the Sports Life and Recreation category. His nominated photograph captures members of the Tsavora Fencing Mtaani club during a "fencing mtaani" training session in the Mathare slum of Nairobi. The term "fencing mtaani," meaning "fencing in the streets" in Swahili, highlights the unique sport practiced in this urban setting. The image was taken on 9 June 2024.
Jeff Pachoud received an Excellence Award for his photograph taken in the French Alps on 11 March 2024. The image shows French mountaineer Charles Dubouloz walking along a ridge near the Glacier du Géant, close to the Cosmiques refuge in the Mont-Blanc massif.
Science & Natural History
Luis Tato also earned a spot as a finalist in the Science & Natural History category for his photograph, taken on 9 May 2024 in Garissa, Kenya. The image shows a woman crossing floodwaters in an industrial area, capturing the devastating effects of its extreme weather with rainfall submerging entire villages, roads, and dams across the country.
Last year, Luis Tato was awarded Photographer of the Year in the 2023 edition of the POY, the highest honour of the competition.
Olympic & Paralympic Sports Action
Jérôme Brouillet took first place in the Olympic & Paralympic Sport Action category for his iconic photo of Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina. The image, captured on 29 July 2024 in Tahiti, shows Medina seemingly "levitating" above the waves as he exits a tube. Brouillet shared in an interview how he managed to capture this moment of Medina exiting a tube in Tahiti.
Carl de Souza also received an Excellence Award in the category for an image taken at the Stade de France on 28 July 2024. The photo shows Canadian player Krissy Scurfield tackling New Zealand's Jazmin Felix-Hotham during the rugby sevens match between New Zealand and Canada at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
