15.04.2023
The Czech News Agency’s (ČTK) photojournalist Roman Vondrouš received the title of the Personality of Czech Photography 2022 from the Association of Professional Photographers today. The organisation intends to improve the prestige of photography in society by this annual act. At present, Vondrouš ranks among the most awarded Czech photojournalists on the national and international level.
The ČTK photojournalist had already received the nomination for the award in 2021. This year, he was nominated by Veronika Souralová and Josef Moucha. "An excellent photojournalist who has been creating complete photographic series along with his work for ČTK. His style is peculiar, noticeable and he is deservedly a favourite of all Czech and foreign photographic competitions," said Veronika Souralová, the director of the Czech Photo company. Vondrouš has won almost 30 prizes, including the main award in the Czech Press Photo competition for the best journalistic photography.
Photographer, photography theorist and teacher Moucha added that Vondrouš had consistently contributed to the quality, development and promotion of Czech culture at home and abroad through presentations of his authorial works. Moucha, who received an award from the Association of Professional Photographers two years ago for his long-term contribution to Czech photography, also gives lectures as a teacher and at presentations of his own work, and organises workshops for students and the public.
Vondrouš scored success on the international scene in 2013 already when he won the World Press Photo prestigious international competition in the sports picture stories category. In 2020, he received an award of the International Sport Press Association (AIPS) for a series from horse races that he had been mapping for more than 20 years. In 2021, he won the first prize in the sports series category in the Pictures of the Year International (POYi) contest for a series of pictures of the fans of Prague’s Bohemians football team.
The Association of Professional Photographers awarded Daniela Mrázková for her long-term contribution to Czech photography. The jury also selected the book Circles by Bára Prášilová as the best photographic book of the year. The Personality of Young Czech Photography 2022 title for photographers under 30 went to Julie Hrnčířová.
The Personality of Czech Photography award has been presented to a photographer, a teacher, a theorist of photography, a gallery operator or a publisher who has fundamentally contributed to the quality, development and promotion of Czech photography in the Czech Republic and abroad in the past year. Josef Koudelka became the first holder of this title in 2003. Other laureates in the past 20 years are, for instance, Vladimír Birgus, Jan Mlčoch, Anna Fárová, Jindřich Štreit, Dana Kyndrová, Pavel Dias, Jan Reich, Ivan Pinkava, Antnonín Kratochvíl and Libuše Jarcovjáková, who has won the title twice.