Lien won the top prize with the photograph “A New Beginning”, taken outside Damascus in Syria. The image shows a man trying to restore a TV signal from the roof of a war-damaged residential building – capturing a moment of everyday life amid the destruction left by war.
Speaking from the stage, Lien said he had long wanted to document the consequences of the war in Syria. After spending time in the country together with colleague Espen Rasmussen in the days following the fall of the regime, he felt there were still many untold stories left behind.
“A few months later, at the beginning of last year, I returned to visit the areas that have been headlines in the news for years, but where we haven’t actually seen that many images from,” Lien said.
The award-winning photo was taken in the Al-Yarmouk district outside Damascus.
“A powerful scene”
“I walked around with my fantastic fixer and colleague Hani, looking for signs of life and people trying to return. There was destruction everywhere, but at the same time there was something incredibly beautiful about seeing people hanging up laundry, children on their way to school – and not least this man,” Lien said, referring to the person he eventually photographed.
When he noticed light and activity on a rooftop, he decided to go up.
Only when he saw the man standing there with a cigarette in his mouth, trying to adjust his satellite dish, did Lien realise that the moment had strong visual potential.
“I didn’t necessarily realise it was a fantastic photo at the time, but I understood that it was a powerful scene,” Lien said from the stage.
The VG photographer won four awards in total in this year’s competition: Photo of the Year, as well as first place in the categories International News, Climate and Environment, and Portrait.
More awards for Schibsted photographers
Several other photographers from Schibsted’s newsrooms also received awards and podium placements in this year’s competition.
VG photographer Gisle Oddstad won the category Domestic News. In the same category, Annemor Larsen (VG) received second place.
In International News, Gina Grieg Riisnæs (Aftenposten) finished second, while Kyrre Lien (VG) also received a third-place award in addition to his first place.
Goran Bohlin (VG) finished second in the category Daily Life in Norway.
In the sports category Sports Reportage, Bjørn S. Delebekk (VG) took second place, while Jarle Aasland (Stavanger Aftenblad) finished third.
In the documentary categories, Espen Rasmussen (VG) won International Documentary, while Stig B. Hansen (Aftenposten) received second place in Domestic Documentary. In the same category, Annemor Larsen (VG) placed third.
The “Photo of the Year” awards are organised annually by the Norwegian Association of Photojournalists and are widely regarded as the most important competition for photojournalism in Norway.
All winners in “Photo of the Year”
Photo of the Year
- Kyrre Lien (VG) – En ny begynnelse
Domestic News
- Gisle Oddstad (VG) – I fyr og flamme mot Israel
- Annemor Larsen (VG) – God natt, pappa
- Erlend Berge (Vårt Land) – Party like it´s 4,2
International News
- Kyrre Lien (VG) – En ny begynnelse
- Gina Grieg Riisnæs (Aftenposten) – Krigens fjerde sommer
- Kyrre Lien (VG) – Bosetterne
Daily Life in Norway
- Truls Skram Lerø (NRK) – Naken naturligvis
- Gøran Bohlin (VG) – Selfiegenerasjonen
- David Engmo (Øksnesavisa) – Middagshvil på sykehjemmet
Sports – News
- Paul S. Amundsen (frilans/NTB) – Sølvstupet
- Jan-Petter Dahl (TV 2) – Viking-gull
- Vegard Grøtt (Bildbyrån) – Triumf
Sports – Reportage
- Helge Skodvin (frilans/D2) – YNWA (You´ll Never Walk Alone)
- Bjørn S. Delebekk (VG) – Ringen er sluttet
- Jarle Aasland (Stavanger Aftenblad) – Gullkampen
Climate and Environment
- Kyrre Lien (VG) – Infernoet
- Fred Ivar Utsi Klemetsen – Flokkens runde beskyttelse
- Vebjørn H. Munkvold (student) – Stillheten mellom tidevannet
Portrait
- Kyrre Lien (VG) – Når fronten nærmer seg
- Bjørn Langsem (Dagbladet) – Bjørn Martin skal dø
- Andrea Gjestvang (Panorama) – Fødsel på flukt
Open Category
- Matilde Solsvik (frilans/NJP) – Å gå på vatnet
- Stine Moldfjell (Universitas) – Natten er vår
- Helene Mariussen (frilans/NJP) – Kvinner i pornoindustrien
Domestic Documentary
- Lena Lislevand (frilans/NJP) – Ikke kall meg råner
- Stig B. Hansen (Aftenposten) – Det året Rikke døde
- Annemor Larsen (VG) – På flukt fra barnevernet
International Documentary
- Espen Rasmussen (VG) – Veien til helvete
- Krister Sørbø (Forsvarets Forum/NJP) – Her kan tredje verdenskrig starte
- Andrea Gjestvang (Mare) – Tunnelen som endret øya
News Video
- Sorosh Sadat & Mariel Mellingen (TV 2) – Kian
- Jorunn Hatling, Inger Kristine Lee & Anja Strønen (NRK) – Tamara
- Frode Fjerdingstad, Oleksandr Techynskyi & Fredrik Tombra (NRK) – Uman
Video Reportage
- Monica Strømdahl (eget arbeid) – Flophouse America
- Anders Hammer (NRK) – Frontliv
- Mathias Skarpaas & Tore Martin Solheim (TV 2) – Siste reis – Andersen
Video Journalist of the Year
Mathias Skarpaas (TV 2)
Newcomer of the Year
Wilhelm Særvoll (frilans) – Texas, Norge
