Syrian photographer, Mohamed Alragheb, earned the Grand Prix award at the Hamdan International Photography Award (HIPA) competition. The seventh HIPA took place on March 13, 2018.

This is perhaps the only case in the history of journalism, when the award (which is not a small amount, $120,000) was awarded not only for a photojournalist’s work, but also where the hero of the photo was awarded with a special prize.

The photo was taken in April, 2017 in Rashid, Western Aleppo, during an air strike.

When bombs began exploding everywhere, photographer Abd Alkader Habbak stopped taking photos and ran towards a child lying on his stomach…At that moment, he did not even realize that the child had died. Around him people began to yell “Leave him, save the living…”

The photojournalist turned around and saw a girl covered in blood who was barely whispering, save me. Habbak quickly carried the child and ran towards the ambulance.

He then returned three times to the area where the bombs were exploding. Each time he emerged from the fires of hell bringing with him another wounded victim.

Habbak’s friend, Mohammed, managed to photograph the incident.

In one of the photographs, Habbak was kneeling and crying helplessly, for not being able to help the children who have died.

The photo, which won the Grand Prix award, shows how the photojournalist, carrying a heavily injured child and running away from the burning area. At that moment, his own camera was getting in the way. And he made his choice.

German Avagyan

 

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