'L.A. Times' Photographer Wins Award at Visa Pour l'Image Festival

By: Daryl Lang Los Angeles Times photographer Barbara Davidson was recognized at the 2009 Visa Pour l?Image festival with a top award for her coverage of the 2008 Chinese earthquake, while photographers who covered conflicts in Georgia and Afghanistan also took home honors.

The following awards were announced last week at Visa Pour l?Image in Perpignan, France:

* The Visa d'Or News went to Wojciech Grzedzinski of Napo Images for overage of the Georgian conflict for the Polish newspaper Dziennik.

* The Visa d'Or Feature went to Afghan photographer Zalma? for coverage of Afghanistan. Zalma?'s project "Promises and Lies: The Human Cost of the War on Terror" was the subject of an exhibition at Perpignan this year.

* The Visa d?Or Daily Press went to Davidson of the Los Angeles Times for her coverage of the earthquake in Chengdu, Sichuan province, China in May 2008.

* Boston photographer Margaret Crow won The Pierre & Alexandra Boulat Photography Grant for her project, ?Love me: Lost in the cycle of poverty,? which is about a 17-year-old girl from Ohio.

* The France24-RFI Web Documentary Award went to the project ?Imprisoned Body,? an interactive feature on the health of people in prison, produced by Le Monde Interactif. The feature includes photographs by L?o Ridet.

Previously announced awards included:

* The City of Perpignan Young Reporter?s Award was awarded to Massimo Berruti of Agence Vu/Grazia Neri for the project ?Pakistan ? Fact or Fiction??

* The CARE International Award for Humanitarian Reportage was awarded to Luca Catalano Gonzaga for a report on child labor in Nepal.

* The Canon Female Photojournalist Award was awarded to Justyna Mielnikiewicz.

All of the major awards at Perpignan come with a prize of 8,000 Euro. A list of nominees is available here.

-- Nielsen Business Media