Getty Images Photographer Brent Stirton Named International Photographer of the Year

The Lucie Awards Mark First Time a Getty Images Photographer Has Won Multiple Awards at This Prestigious Event

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Getty Images is proud to announce that photojournalist Brent Stirton was named the International Photographer of the Year by the Lucie Foundation at the Sixth Annual Lucie Awards Gala, Monday evening, October 20, 2008 at The Lincoln Center in New York. Stirton’s documentary work for Newsweek, “Slaughter in the Jungle,” which first appeared as the cover story on August 6, 2007, captured the largest massacre of seriously endangered primates in over 40 years and brought international attention to an otherwise underground issue. In addition to receiving this prestigious award, Stirton’s captivating imagery was also recognized in multiple categories including:

• Editorial Professional Photographer of the Year;
• First Place, Editorial, Environmental category;
• First Place, Editorial, Feature Story category;
• Third Place, People, Culture category, The Omo Valley Tribe Portraits;
• and, Nominee, Professional Photographer of the Year, Deeper Perspective category, The Omo Valley Tribe Portraits.

“Getty Images is extremely proud of Brent’s achievements this year,” said Jonathan Klein, co-founder and CEO, Getty Images. “The Lucie Award is a significant honor that has recognized Brent’s dedication as a photographer to tell stories in the most powerful, yet respectful, manner.”

Stirton is the first Getty Images photographer to be nominated for and receive the Lucie Award for International Photographer of the Year, joining an elite list of past award-winning photojournalists including Annie Leibovitz and Cornell Capa. The Lucie Awards gather the photography community from countries around the globe at its annual gala ceremony to honor and pay tribute to the greatest achievements in photography.

Stirton’s evocative coverage of the gorilla killings in the Virunga National Park, Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in July 2007, which was also published by National Geographic in August 2008, has garnered a number of awards this year, including:

* World Press Photo – First prize, Singles, Contemporary Issues
* American Photo – 2008 Photo of the Year
* Visa Pour l’Image – 2008 Visa d’Or for Feature Photography
* 4th China International Press Photo Contest – Nature and Environment News Stories
* Days Japan Awards – Second Place
* LeadAwards – Second Place
* Overseas Press Club Awards – Feature Photography Award
* PDN Photo Annual – Photojournalism/Sports/Documentary
* Pictures of the Year International – Multimedia Feature Story
* Prix de la Photographie – Feature Story

To honor the work of its photographers, Getty Images has developed an on-going series of podcasts featuring interviews with some of its award-winners sharing their experiences behind their imagery. The podcasts, including a recent discussion with Brent Stirton about how his coverage not only tells a powerful story but also prompts change, are available at: http://gettyimages.com/podcast.