On this website you can have a look at the winners for this year.   As you know I was one of the happy few being nominated but this year it was Yves Herman that won the € 2000 prize money with his series on policemen being covered in foam, put on them by angry firemen.         In the brochure that was printed for the event, the comment of the jury really touched my heart.   Sander de Wilde Straatpicknick BRUSSEL DEZE WEEK Een wilde asfaltpicknick voor de Beurs van Brussel moet de aandacht vestigen op de noodzaak van een verkeersluw Brussel. De fotograaf heeft deze boodschap van convivialiteit vertaald in een serie foto’s die overlopen van poëzie. Door een doorgedreven gebruik van zijn fisheye-lens resulteert dit in een reeks van opmerkelijke topshots die de kijker het gevoel geeft zelf middenin de picknick beland te zijn. Een fascinerende reeks.   A wild asphalt picnic for the Brussels Stock Exchange must highlight the need for a traffic Brussels. The photographer has this message of conviviality translated into a series of photographs that overflow of poetry. Through the extensive use of fisheye lens, this resulted in a series of remarkable topshots which gives the viewer the feeling of being in the middle of the picnic . A fascinating series.   It was a real pity that winner Yves Herman wasn't there to pick up the price, but I had a great evening and was happy to talk to Johanna de Tessières, the other finalist.   Belfius awards nominees photography

One day before the Finale. These are the three nominees for the Belgian Belfius press award. I'm in there with my topshot series of the famous Brussels' picknick: PickNick the streets.   Angry Brussels' citizens occupied the streets in the center of Brussels almost a year ago. They want Brussels to be friendly for tourist and pedestrians, in stead of being a highway for cars all over town.    

This series is now nominated for the Belgian Belfius bank photojournalism award 2013. I won this award 2 years ago. Couldn't submit pictures last year but was in the jury, and now, this year I'm nominated again! That's really great news, especially 1 day before my birthday!-)

The media. It surprises me that  Dutch speaking media bring the news on the Belfius Awards only by focusing on themselves only. They all mention the award won by their medium, but will not mention all the winners and sometimes not even the name of the journalist. Belgian national TV is proud of their award for tv-news. Newspaper De Standaard invested in datjournalism and made Maxi Eckert win an award. The Press Radio award was won by   Radio 1  Joos. Two journalists, Lars Bové and Bart Haeck of De Tijd won the main award, on financial economic news, with a story on Bernard Arnault and his firms in Belgium, revealing Belgium as a tax-paradise. A story that made a lot of political turmoil. De Tijd also states winning the photography press-award. The winner of the press-award for photography was Belgian photographer  Colin Delfosse with a serie on M23 fighters in Northern-Kivu. He won the Sony award with the same serie before, and the Tijd did publish his work but I don't know if they assigned him for his travels. French speaking media are more objektive and write about all winners, like l'Avenir,   RTL and DH. What de Tijd and Trends/Knack do with the protest outside the Belfius building during the Award ceremony is ok. They do mention the protest of Belfius unionists criticizing freedom of speech for Belfius employees. As the winner of the 2011 Belfius Award on photography I was asked to help judging the photography category and to assist the final judging yesterday. A great experience and the judging really was a tough job. Reading, listening and watching all those news-items. Serious discussion on some categories, but I'm quite happy with the winners. Congratulations! The judges saw the level of journalism being quite high, but ask all journalists to please send more work next year.

As a former winner of the Belgian Belfius press award, I was invited to help judging this year's press-photography award. The Belfius press-awards are several awards for photography, radio- and tv reportages, and of course written articles, made in journalists from Belgium. This will be the 50st year the prizes will be chosen. Here you'll see my photograph, that won last year made in May 2011, just at the beginning of the Dexia/Belfius crisis.   This year the winner will be...not in b&w. The next and final judging will be on 23rd om Mai 2013.   Belfius award 2011 Jean-Luc Dehaene with Dexia logo on his back in Le Vif