Alessadro Penso won the international photography award Terry O’Neill, for taking pictures of immigrants and refugees in Greece.
In early 2012, the photographer came to Greece and photographed immigrants in many places, such as Korithnos and Patras. As he said, his purpose was to actually capture both the anxiety and hopes of young immigrants for a better life, while struggling with the harsh reality of everyday life.
When a car driver deliberately hit a Moroccan immigrant last year in Korinthos, a racist attack according to Penso, he documented the event at the press of a click. This is the photo which drew the most attention in the whole competition.
After that incident, the photographer visited the young immigrant in the hospital and he can still recall the policeman who asked the immigrant to leave Greece within a 15 days’ notice because he was illegal.
The series of the photographs goes under the title Adolescence Denied, and according to the jury, Alessadro won the first prize because: “he perfectly captures the anxiety of these young boys over their safety and over a better future.”
O’Neill said: “It is getting harder and harder every year to pick a winner. It always amazes me how much talent there is out there. Every year the winners take on a great career and are hosted in the world’s best magazines. Alessandro will undoubtedly fill their pages “.
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