Romanian photographer receives Award of Excellence at Sony World Photography Awards 2013

Romanian photographer receives Award of Excellence at the Picture of the Year International

Newsroom 11/02/2013 | 12:48

Romanian photographer Andrei Pungovschi won the Award of Excellence for the picture “Tough Journey” in the Portrait Photography section of the Picture of the Year International. The picture tells the story of Luca, a five years old and autistic child. Five days a week, his mother wakes him up at 5:30 in the morning, to prepare him for the daily train ride to Bucharest, 62 miles away, where he was accepted by an Applied Behavior Analysis center, run by an NGO that covers three quarters of the costs. For the rest, the family relies on donations. The monthly disability payment from the Romanian government, which amounts to roughly USD 160, hardly covers his mother’s train tickets. The story of Luca can be read in Decat o Revista, available only in Romanian.

About Andrei Pungovschi

Andrei Pungovschi is a photojournalist based in Bucharest, Romania. He received a BA in journalism from the University of Bucharest and then went on to study photojournalism at the University of Missouri, on a Fulbright scholarship.

His work has been recognized by Pictures of the Year International, College Photographer of the Year, The Missouri Press Association and Norhtweast Regional Emmy.

Oana Vasiliu