AFCON 2010 photo comp winner announced

JOHANNESBURG: Barry Aldsworth from Back Page Pix in South Africa has been named the winner of the CAF/Standard Bank Photo of the Tournament Competition. The competition entailed producing an iconic image that would capture the passion, excitement and euphoria of the Orange Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Tournament of 2010.

13 May 2010

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It was open to officially accredited African photographers covering the event in Angola between 10 and 31 January 2010. Entries were received from Angola, Cameroon, Egypt, Sao Tome and Principe and South Africa.

Aldsworth's winning picture captured Egyptian captain Ahmed Hassan holding up the trophy for all to see. He walks away with US$10 000 in cash as well as a full-paid trip to Johannesburg to attend a football-themed exhibition - Halakahsa - at the Standard Bank Gallery, where his winning photograph will be exhibited as part of the showcase of art and images that convey African football.

Rewarding creative talent

Standard Bank is the official financial services sponsor to CAF and the AFCON, having signed an eight-year sponsorship deal with the Confederation of African Football (CAF). As the official sponsor of photographer's bibs at the event, it launched the photographic competition to showcase the continent's passion for football and reward the creative talent of journalists.

"AFCON may have demonstrated prowess on the football field, but this competition highlighted Africa's excellence in sports journalism, and reaffirmed once again that there is no shortage of talent in Africa," says Clement Motale, director of group sponsorship at Standard Bank.

"This competition was our way of acknowledging the African media, who were instrumental in taking the AFCON to those fans who were unable to watch the spectacle in person."