Aris Messinis Wins Bayeux-Calvados Award for Libya Coverage

Greek photographer Aris Messinis has won the photography prize at the Bayeux-Calvados Awards for War Correspondents for his coverage of the Libyan Uprising in October 2011.

Messinis'  photos were taken during the Battle of Sirte, Libya, while National Transitional Council forces launched their final assault on the last pockets of Kadhafi loyalists, a few days before the dictator’s death. His images document the violence, but also the confusion and disorder that reigned during the final battle.

Aris Messinis, 35, has been chief photographer for Agence France Presse (AFP) in Greece since 2006. He worked in Libya and Egypt during the “Arab Spring”.

Created in 1994 by the city of Bayeux, the Bayeux-Calvados Awards for War Correspondents acknowledge the work of journalists reporting on conflicts and their consequences for civilian populations, or news stories covering the defense of freedom and democracy.

A total of 54 reports were entered in the competition across different categories: radio, photo, print, TV, long-format TV, young reporter award and web journalism. The jury for 2012 was chaired by photographer Gilles Peress.



"That day, the NTC fighters were trying to advance to the centre of the city and it was a heavy street fight with lot of incoming and outgoing firing. (AK-47, machine guns, anti-aircraft machine guns, RPGs, sniper firing). I realised by looking at him through my camera that he was trying to encourage the other fighters. It was impossible to hear his music because the distance between me and him was some 50 meters and the 'Boom! Boom!' was too loud." – Aris Messinis. © 2011 - Libya – AFP / Aris Messinis