On October 11–12, the Bayeux Calvados-Normandy Award for war correspondents was presented in the French city of Bayeux. This year, among the awardees were Ukrainian photographers Kostyantyn and Vlada Liberov. Their photo series dedicated to the war in Ukraine received several prestigious honors.
The ceremony in Bayeux, held annually since 1994 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy, brings together the best war correspondents from around the world. The work of the Liberovs took second place in the "Photography" category and also won the "Public's Choice" award, where the winners are chosen by a broad audience.
Kostyantyn Liberov shared that receiving the award was a surprise and a shared achievement for them: "Honestly, it was very unexpected that we received this statuette. We applied in the 'Photography' category, where we took second place. I say 'we' because everything Vlada and I do, we do together. Although the contest allows submissions from only one author, this is our joint work, and that’s an important clarification."
Kostyantyn noted that given the global audience’s fatigue with news about the Russia-Ukraine war, their win in the "Public's Choice" category is even more valuable: "We received great support from both the jury and the public. To be honest, by the third year of the war, it’s becoming harder to maintain attention on Ukraine. The fact that we received this recognition, especially in such strong competition, means a lot to us."
Kostyantyn and Vlada have been actively documenting the Russia-Ukraine war since the first days of the invasion, working in the most dangerous hotspots on the front lines. Their photographs capture life at the front and the tragedies faced by both soldiers and civilians. The images in the Liberovs' photo series span the years 2023–2024, conveying the complex emotions of war. Vlada was responsible for selecting the photographs for the series War in Ukraine: Pain, Despair, and Hope. She spoke about the challenges they faced as photographers:
"For us, the hardest part is choosing the photographs. We wanted to show the war from different perspectives: not only the suffering of civilians but also the pain of the soldiers and their families. This war affects everyone, and everyone has their losses."
Since the Liberovs had no prior experience participating in photo competitions, Vlada noted that preparing for this award became an important lesson for them: "Maybe I would approach the photo selection differently now, after hearing the advice from the jury and colleagues. But even with the mistakes we made, receiving this award is incredibly important to us."
Let us remind you that Kostiantyn and Vlada have been documenting the war since the first days of the Russian invasion, working directly on the front lines. Their photographs capture the battles, the lives of soldiers and civilians, as well as the personal tragedies of Ukrainians. Their work involves constant risk to their lives. In December 2023, Vlada suffered a shrapnel wound to her thigh while working in the Donetsk region. "It's not just about the awards. It's a reminder to the world that the war is ongoing," Kostyantyn concludes.
Kostiantyn and Vlada Liberov are a married photographer duo from Odesa. They began their career with creative and emotional love stories. In just a few years, they became some of the most recognizable photographers in their field and transitioned into active teaching, with thousands of grateful students worldwide. At the start of the war in Ukraine, they changed the direction of their work, focusing on artistic documentary photography. Their images from Ukraine’s hotspots go viral on social media, garnering hundreds of thousands of shares, and are published by major media outlets such as the BBC, Welt, Vogue, and Forbes. Their photos are also shared by the President of Ukraine and other high-ranking officials on their social media platforms. The Liberovs have already held two solo exhibitions in Europe, and their photographs have been featured in many thematic exhibitions. Kostyantyn and Vlada's goal is to make sure that as many people as possible learn the truth about the war in Ukraine. For them, photography is the meaning of life and a way to spread harmony in the world. Photographers' Instagram.
We worked on the material:
Researcher on the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
Photo editor: Vyacheslav Ratynskyi
Literary editor: Yuliya Futei
Website manager: Vladyslav Kukhar
On October 11–12, the Bayeux Calvados-Normandy Award for war correspondents was presented in the French city of Bayeux. This year, among the awardees were Ukrainian photographers Kostyantyn and Vlada Liberov. Their photo series dedicated to the war in Ukraine received several prestigious honors.
The ceremony in Bayeux, held annually since 1994 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy, brings together the best war correspondents from around the world. The work of the Liberovs took second place in the "Photography" category and also won the "Public's Choice" award, where the winners are chosen by a broad audience.
Kostyantyn Liberov shared that receiving the award was a surprise and a shared achievement for them: "Honestly, it was very unexpected that we received this statuette. We applied in the 'Photography' category, where we took second place. I say 'we' because everything Vlada and I do, we do together. Although the contest allows submissions from only one author, this is our joint work, and that’s an important clarification."
Kostyantyn noted that given the global audience’s fatigue with news about the Russia-Ukraine war, their win in the "Public's Choice" category is even more valuable: "We received great support from both the jury and the public. To be honest, by the third year of the war, it’s becoming harder to maintain attention on Ukraine. The fact that we received this recognition, especially in such strong competition, means a lot to us."
Kostyantyn and Vlada have been actively documenting the Russia-Ukraine war since the first days of the invasion, working in the most dangerous hotspots on the front lines. Their photographs capture life at the front and the tragedies faced by both soldiers and civilians. The images in the Liberovs' photo series span the years 2023–2024, conveying the complex emotions of war. Vlada was responsible for selecting the photographs for the series War in Ukraine: Pain, Despair, and Hope. She spoke about the challenges they faced as photographers:
"For us, the hardest part is choosing the photographs. We wanted to show the war from different perspectives: not only the suffering of civilians but also the pain of the soldiers and their families. This war affects everyone, and everyone has their losses."
Since the Liberovs had no prior experience participating in photo competitions, Vlada noted that preparing for this award became an important lesson for them: "Maybe I would approach the photo selection differently now, after hearing the advice from the jury and colleagues. But even with the mistakes we made, receiving this award is incredibly important to us."
Let us remind you that Kostiantyn and Vlada have been documenting the war since the first days of the Russian invasion, working directly on the front lines. Their photographs capture the battles, the lives of soldiers and civilians, as well as the personal tragedies of Ukrainians. Their work involves constant risk to their lives. In December 2023, Vlada suffered a shrapnel wound to her thigh while working in the Donetsk region. "It's not just about the awards. It's a reminder to the world that the war is ongoing," Kostyantyn concludes.
Kostiantyn and Vlada Liberov are a married photographer duo from Odesa. They began their career with creative and emotional love stories. In just a few years, they became some of the most recognizable photographers in their field and transitioned into active teaching, with thousands of grateful students worldwide. At the start of the war in Ukraine, they changed the direction of their work, focusing on artistic documentary photography. Their images from Ukraine’s hotspots go viral on social media, garnering hundreds of thousands of shares, and are published by major media outlets such as the BBC, Welt, Vogue, and Forbes. Their photos are also shared by the President of Ukraine and other high-ranking officials on their social media platforms. The Liberovs have already held two solo exhibitions in Europe, and their photographs have been featured in many thematic exhibitions. Kostyantyn and Vlada's goal is to make sure that as many people as possible learn the truth about the war in Ukraine. For them, photography is the meaning of life and a way to spread harmony in the world. Photographers' Instagram.
We worked on the material:
Researcher on the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
Photo editor: Vyacheslav Ratynskyi
Literary editor: Yuliya Futei
Website manager: Vladyslav Kukhar
UAPP is an independent association of professional Ukrainian photographers, designed to protect their interests, support, develop and promote Ukrainian photography as an important element of national culture.
UAPP's activities span educational, social, research and cultural initiatives, as well as book publishing.
UAPP represents Ukrainian professional photography in the international photographic community and is an official member of the Federation of European Photographers (FEP) — an international organization representing more than 50,000 professional photographers in Europe and other countries around the world.
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