2006 George Bendrihem prize for the best photograph of a european political figure

The prize is in memory of Georges Bendrihem, an AFP photographer killed in a road accident in Tunisia on October 6, 1995 at the age of 63 when he had just finished the coverage of an official visit by President Jacques Chirac. The prize was created in 1996 and initially awarded and presented in Paris. To give it a broader European dimension it was decided to stage the ceremony in a different capital every year.
Winners of the Xth edition have been presented during a ceremony at the natural Science museum in Madrid on june 22, 2006.

TIM SLOAN from Agence France Presse was awarded first prize an 7000 euros for his picture of George Bush and Vladimir Putin waving from the window of a 1956 Volga car as they headed to a dinner in Putin’s private residence outside Moscow on june 8, 2005.

ALESSANDRA BENEDETTI from Corbis won second prize for a black and white photo of Silvio Berlusconi preparing for a political debate at Rai’s broadcast studios on december 10 2005.

JEAN-CHRISTOPHE MARMARA staff photographer of the french daily Le Figaro, took third price with his picture of Dominique Villepin and Nicolas Sarkozy meeting and shaking hands during a jog on the sidelines of a UMP meeting in Evian on september 20, 2005.

The second and third prize winners received photographic equipment from Canon.