JOHN Downing
Photographer
AWARDS
1977
British Press Photographer of the Year
1979
British Press Photographer of the Year
1980
British Press Photographer of the Year
1981
British Press Photographer of the Year
1984
British Press Photographer of the Year
1988
British Press Photographer of the Year
1989
British Press Photographer of the Year
1992
Honoured with an MBE for Services to Journalism
2001
Lifetime Achievement Award - only the 2nd time ever awarded from the Picture Editors Guild
2011
Awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society
Other Awards...
1971
Press Picture of the Year
1972
World Press Photo Competition, runner-up
1978
Photokina Gold Medal
1978
World Press Photo Competition, runner-up
1990
United Nations Gold Medal
1990
Royal Newspaper Photographer of the Year
1991
Kodak Press Awards, runner-up in both News and Feature sections
1992
Kodak Press Awards, overall winner
1994
International Photographer of the Year
1997
British Press Photographer of the Year, runner-up
1998
British Press Photographer of the Year, runner-up
2001
British Airways London Eye Competition, winner
2001
Finalist Press Gazette Photographer of the Year
CAREER
1973 - 1995
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WARS
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John covered most major wars, including Vietnam, East Pakistan/Bangladesh, Rhodesia, Beirut, Iraq, Somalia, Rwanda, Croatia, and over a dozen visits to Bosnia.
October 1984
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BRIGHTON BOMB
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He was the only photographer inside the Grand Hotel, Brighton, when the IRA bomb exploded in a failed attempt to kill PM Margaret Thatcher, leading to world exclusive photographs.
August 1972
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UGANDA
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He was beaten and imprisoned in Kampala by the regime of Idi Amin. The Daily Express described its front-page headline as, 'World exclusive pictures taken inside the black hole of Kampala'.
1990
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CHERNOBYL
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Together with writer Kim Willsher, John was one of the first journalists to visit Chernobyl after the nuclear explosion.
February 1984
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DANGER
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As an assignment, he hitchhiked on lorries along the 'Road of Death' across Central America.
1971-1987
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LIVING ROUGH
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He lived for many weeks with Guerrilla fighters in several wars; the Anyanya in Southern Sudan, the Contras in Nicaragua, and the Mujahideen in Afghanistan.
1984
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BPPA
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He founded the Press Photographers Association and was voted the first President. It is now flourishing as the British Press Photographers' Association.
2001
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RETIREMENT
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He retired from the Daily Express as Chief Photographer (since 1985) to pursue a freelance career.