AFP photojournalist Ina Fassbender awarded first prize in the 2024 VDS Sports Photo Competition

AFP photojournalist Ina Fassbender was awarded first prize in the ‘Euro 2024’ category at the Sports Photo of the Year competition, organised by the Association of German Sports Journalists (VDS) and sports magazine Kicker.

Fassbender secured first place for her photograph ‘Looking Forward to Euro’, taken in Essen during the 2024 UEFA European football championship.

In an Instagram post announcing the award, the photojournalist thanked AFP and the competition's partners for their support, sharing the winning image alongside her message.

The awards ceremony will be held on 17 March 2025 in Oberhausen, Germany.

Who is Ina Fassbender?
 

Portrait of Ina Fassbender. © Leon Kügeler

Ina Fassbender is a freelance German photojournalist who has been working with AFP for several years. She first picked up a camera at the age of 16, taking her first photograph at an anti-nuclear demonstration in Hanau, West Germany. Since then, she has explored a variety of subjects, including environmental issues, while developing a growing passion for covering sporting events.

She has won several prestigious photography awards, including second place in 2010 in the Rückblende, a German political photography competition and first prize in 2018 at the NRW Photo of the Year awards.

About the competition
 

The Sports Photo of the Year competition features six categories, with a prize fund of €30,000. Two categories are open to non-VDS members, and each category awards three prizes. The competition is sponsored by Volkswagen, the German Football Association (DFB), and Nikon.