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July 14, 2006updated 22 Nov 2022 8:14pm

7 July bus image wins Citizen Journalism Award

By Press Gazette

A photograph taken by an eyewitness minutes after a bomb blast on a bus in Tavistock Square last July has been selected almost unanimously by judges as the winner of the inaugural Nokia Citizen Journalism Award.

Judges felt the photograph provided a haunting image of the day's events in the capital.

One judge, CNN Europe, Middle East and Africa managing editor Nick Wrenn, said: "When
all around would have been shock and chaos, the photographer aptured a
moment of history and frightening and stunning image of terrorism. The
image of the passengers still on the top deck is haunting."

The winning photographer, who asked to remain anonymous, and will be donating his prizes to charity, said: "If I tell you that I don't remember seeing the bus you won't believe me, but I didn't see it, such was the confusion in my head.

"I could have taken more pictures if I was a professional, but the reality was that I couldn't.

"The press interest in my photos was overwhelming.

"I asked [agency] Scoopt to look after the pictures for me so that I would not have to look at them any more, but of course the memories will never go away."

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Second in the contest was David Otway, who took photographs of the aftermath of the Buncefield oil explosion from a seat on a Ryanair flight as the plane flew over the site of the disaster.

Third prize went to Alex Chadwick, whose photograph of bomb survivors filing out of a Tube tunnel on 7 July last year captured a kind of order among the chaos of the terrorist attack.

The Nokia Citizen Journalism award was launched this year in recognition of the impact that witness contributions have had on the delivery of news.

The award, which recognises the excellent picture and video footage that has been published for the first time in the UK and Ireland, was judged by a panel that included Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow; Nick Wrenn, CNN managing editor for Europe, Middle East and Africa; Vicky Taylor, BBC News Interactivity editor; and Glyn Genin, chairman of the Picture Editors Awards and former picture editor of the Financial Times.

Judges were asked to select three entries from more than 45 images supplied by more than 30 entrants.

Anna Shipley, communications manager at sponsor Nokia, said: "We're delighted to have created this award with Press Gazette.

"The quality of entries we have seen has really reinforced the fact that citizen journalism is very much being recognised as a credible part of the media agenda."

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

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