###Photo of the Year unveiled
Andrew Quilty’s “The Man on The Operating Table” has been named the 2016 Nikon-Walkley Photo of the Year tonight at the State Library of New South Wales.
The image was shot by Quilty inside the Médecins Sans Frontières Kunduz Trauma Center in Afghanistan, following the Oct. 3, 2015, attack by an American AC-130 gunship on the hospital in which 42 were killed, including MSF staff, patients and patient carers.
The arresting image was a clear standout for the judges.
Photojournalist Andrew Quilty describes the scene that met him in Kunduz:
“The body of the man on the operating table had been the only one among the human remains in the trauma centre that was still somewhat visibly identifiable. And when I first saw him, this man had been lying dead on that operating table for a week as the fighting continued to rage across the city. It would be four more weeks before I’d learn his name.”
Other winners announced tonight were
Nikon-Walkley Portrait Prize
Winner: Brian Cassey, News Corp Australia, “Beaten Refugee”
Nikon-Walkley Community/Regional Prize
Winner: Marc McCormack, The Cairns Post, “Body of Work”
###Nikon-Walkley Awards for Excellence in Photojournalism - Nominations
Also announced were nominations for all categories in the Nikon-Walkley Awards for Excellence in Photojournalism. Winners will be announced Dec. 2, 2016, at the 61st Annual Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism.
Nominations:
Press Photographer of the Year
Alex Coppel, Herald Sun
Jason Edwards, Herald Sun
Andrew Quilty, Foreign Policy, The Washington Post, TIME Lightbox and SBS.com.au
News Photography
Annette Dew, News Corp Australia, “Close your eyes, I love you”
Jake Nowakowski, Herald Sun, “Moomba Gang Riot”
Andrew Quilty, Foreign Policy, “The Man on The Operating Table”
Feature/Photographic Essay
Danella Bevis, The West Australian, “The Day After”
Eddie Jim, Good Weekend Magazine, Fairfax Media, “Standing Tall”
David Maurice Smith, Guardian Australia, Sydney Morning Herald, The Globe and Mail and Mother Jones Magazine, “Refugee Crisis in the Balkans”
Sport Photography
Scott Barbour, Getty Images, “Peak of the Action”
Eddie Jim, The Age, Fairfax Media, “Champagne Shower”
Cameron Spencer, Getty Images, “The Defining Moment”