Sports photographer Anna Szilágyi won two prestigious professional awards within six months

March 22 was a Monday this year. That day the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) hosted the Sport Media Awards in Vigevano, Lombardi. The celebration took place virtually due to the then-already raging coronavirus outbreak. The ceremony also had a Hungarian attendee, Anna Szilágyi. The 23-year-old photojournalist was in the top 3 in the Young Reporters Photography (sports photojournalists under 30) category.

"I followed the awards show in one of the rooms in our home in Rákoskeresztúr; my family was nervous in the next room," says Anna Szilágyi who dressed elegantly for the gala despite sitting in front of a computer. After the top 3 contestants were revealed, the organizers brought the dress code to their attention at the preliminary online technical meeting. In addition to the Hungarian photographer, her Chinese colleague Zhong Zhen Bin's and The Guardian's employee, Portuguese Filipe Amorim's photos were among the bests. A camera test was carried out, and the members of this trio were also asked to write a half-minute thank-you speech in case of their final victory.

The result is known. Anna Szilágyi, who is at the very beginning of her career, blew up the international field also. This was her second significant recognition in six months. In September 2020, the Hungarian Sports Journalists' Association awarded her the Award for Excellence for her work at the 2019 World Diving Championships in Budapest. Then, her photo titled “European Champions” captured at the 2020 European Water Polo Championships (also held in the Duna Aréna in Budapest) with Hungarian water polo national team head coach Tamás Märcz jumping into the pool won the award by the AIPS.

Anna Szilágyi holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from the Corvinus University of Budapest and is currently a first-year student at the University of Physical Education (TE) for her graduate studies in Sports Management. She is also a promising sports photographer who, as an employee of FotóSarok, works primarily for Fradi and Honvéd Média.

"I was interested in photography as a child as well. I remember I was in my grandmother's garden photographing the flowers," she says. “My first camera was a DSLR Nikon D 5100. As a high school student, I enrolled in a photography course in District 16 in Budapest. I would have liked to major in Photography at Budapest Metropolitan University, but it was a paid program, so I was looking at other options. Because I was strong in mathematics, Economics was the way to go."

However, to make sure she didn't give up photography, she got a lab assistant position in one of the photo labs in Budapest. The dots slowly connected; she spent her mandatory internship with Corvinus at the Hungarian Wrestling Federation, where she assisted in organizing the 2019 U23 World Wrestling Championships in the capital. This also helped her build connections.

“I learned music when I was a kid. I was never a registered athlete, but I have been attracted to sports all my life, and I went to a lot of events with my friends. In the meantime, photography has also become my passion. I increasingly felt that my place is by the sidelines with a camera in my hands, and I realized I wanted to be a sports photographer.”

It was a great lesson to work for Index afterward. She could experience many genres, try herself out in a variety of sports, and experiment with when to expose the photos at different events to create the ideal image. She likes handball, and she photographs acrobatic gymnastics, sometimes football, but now she feels most at home in the world of water sports. Her favorite is water polo; the sport that is known for its members traditionally sticking together, and those who want to get in and see the world of water polo players have to work hard for the recognition. Anna Szilágyi feels she has made that breakthrough. She proudly recalls that her AIPS award-winning photo had already taken third place in the Magyarország 365 photo contest in 2020. Tamás Märcz, the main character of the picture, personally congratulated her on her success.

The young photographer has been working for FradiMédia since January last year. At the European Championships, she could photography many familiar faces from the Hungarian water polo national team since 7 of them play for Ferencváros.

"I think a photo can be successful in three cases. a photo can be successful in three cases. One, if it is aesthetically pleasing, two, if it captures a rarely seen moment, or three, if it has a historical importance.” Her award-winning photo has all three aspects. In the case of the “European Champions,” all three aspects apply. “I'm grateful to FradiMédia for letting me attend the tournament. Also, because many world events were canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic, I could choose ‘the one' from fewer photos than usual.”

The top prize (which has since been delivered to Budapest by one of the courier services; that's how we could take our picture) comes with a scholarship. The winner will be able to take part in a world competition selected by the AIPS. What this event will be remains a secret for now. If Anna had a choice, she would vote for the Winter Olympics. "There are several sports on the program that are not in the spotlight at home. It would be an exciting professional challenge to photograph these unrepeatable moments."

(This article was published in Képes Sport, the Saturday annex of Nemzeti Sport, on May 8, 2021.)

Translated by Vanda Orosz