The 1st Hinzpeter Award Ceremony Held on October 27th

The May 18 Memorial Foundation and the Korean Association of Video Journalists held an international competition after three years of preparation.

Competition category ▲The World at a Crossroads ▲News ▲ Features Non-competitive category ▲ May Gwangju Award

The award ceremony of Korea's first international press award will be held at 6:30 p.m. on October 27th in Kobaco Hall (Mok-dong, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul) on the 2nd floor of the Korea Broadcasting Center.

In 2021, the Organizing Committee of the 1st Hinzpeter Award (co-chairman Dong-nyun Jung, Chairman of the May 18 Memorial Foundation, and Won-sang Han, former president of the Korea Video Journalists Association) held an international competition in June this year for the purpose of finding video reporters who strive to cover democracy, human rights, peace, and truth from around the world. 25 works from 13 countries were submitted, and 1 candidate was recommended to “May Gwangju Award.”

About 20 judges from domestic and foreign media, academia, and art communities, including Ian Phillips (VP of International Division, AP News, US), who chairs the evaluation committee, selected four winners after two rounds of evaluation.

In the competition category, winners are as follows; ▲ The World at a Crossroads: “Don't be Afraid” (Belsat TV, Mikhail Arshynski) ▲ News:　“Myanmar Army Steps up Enforcement Level” (CNA Yangon Bureau, Norman & Collin) ▲Features: “Desperate Journey 1, 2” (Freelance, Bruno Fderico). In the non-competitive category, ▲May Gwangju Award: the late Young-gil Yoo, a video journalist at the Seoul branch of CBS, US

• Competition category
  • The World at a Crossroads Award (Grand Prize)
    • Winner: Mikhail Arshynski, Belsat Broadcasting Correspondent
    • Title: "Don't be afraid" ("Dont be afraid")
    • Nationality: Belarus
  • Award for News
    • Winner: Norman (pseudonym), Collin (pseudonym) Singapore CNA video reporter
    • Title: Myanmar army steps up enforce
    • Nationality: Myanmar
  • Award for Features
    • Winner: Bruno Federico, Freelance Video Reporter
    • Title: Desperate Journey 1,2
    • Nationality: Italy
• Non-competitive category
  • May Gwangju Award (Contribution Award)
    • Winner: the late Young-gil Yoo (1935~1998), former video journalist for CBS Seoul branch, US
    • Title: [May 18 Democratization Uprising] first report
    • Nationality: Korea

※ photos of the winners and works : http://www.hinzpeterawards.com/sub03

At the awards ceremony, the awards will be presented on behalf of the winners to the representative of Belarus citizens in Korea who is involved in the democratization in Belarus, citizens of Myanmar, and an Egyptian journalist who is living in Korea as refugee since the “Arab Spring”. Myung-ja Kim, widow of the late reporter Young-gil Yoo, Seon-woo Chang, Myung-se Lee, director Jin-ho Huh, and photograph director Young-rae Kim, who worked with Yoo, will also attend.

The video filmed by journalist Young-gil Yoo was first broadcast on CBS Evening News on May 19, 1980. It captured the reality of Gwangju, including the army driving tanks into Gwangju, soldiers beating up citizens with guns and clubs, bleeding citizens who fell on the streets, several young men being arrested with their hands put up behind the head, and the martial law force wielding swords. Journalist Yoo also worked as photograph director for films, such as “Petal”, “Beautiful Young Man Tae-il Cheon”, “Christmas in August”, “Green Fish,” and “White War”.

The awards ceremony will be moderated by actress Jung-hyun Lee. She made her debut as the main character in the film, Petal (1996), which the late reporter Young-gil Yoo, who won the May Gwangju Award, joined as photography director. The film tells the story of the May 18 Democratization Uprising.

The trophies were designed by sculptor Woon-seong Kim who made the “Statue of Peace”, and he reflected journalist Hinzpeter in the trophy design. The winners of the Hinzpeter Award will be awarded a prize money of 10,000 US dollars each.

As a souvenir, “Royal Dansk” cookie sets will be presented with the sponsorship of E-Mart. Hinzpeter hid his films in a Royal Dansk cookie box back in 1980. The Hinzpeter Award is organized by the May 18 Memorial Foundation, the Korea Video Journalists Association, and sponsored by Gwangju Metropolitan City.

※ winner's photo, video work, judges’ profiles:
Hinzpeter Award website www.hinzpeterawards.com