Romanian photographer Adrian Câtu won one of the three Awards of Excellence in the Portrait category of the Pictures of the Year International competition.

The winning photo shows 11-year-old Patric Kolosvary as he is putting on his t-shirt, three weeks after undergoing a surgery to correct his heart malformation.

A comment accompanying the photo explains that 1,200 similar cases are diagnosed each year in Romania. However, only 500 cases can be operated because the lack of specialized pediatric heart surgeons. In Patric’s case, a local NGO arranged for a UK surgical team to come and operate him, alongside several other children.

The photo can be seen here.

Adrian Câtu started working as a professional photographer in 2014, after working for 15 years in the software industry, G4media.ro reported. He is a co-founder of Documentaria.ro, a documentary photography and photo-journalism platform established by several Romanian photographers. His photos were published in the New York Times, Le Figaro, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, and National Geographic Romania, among others.

Pictures of the Year International was started in 1944 by the Missouri School of Journalism. At this year’s edition, thousands of photos competed in the 35 categories. An international jury made up of photo editors and photographers working for prestigious publications gradually unveils the winners, as judging processes take place. The winners will be honored at a gala to be held on April 24 in Columbia, Missouri.

(Photo: Pixabay)

editor@romania-insider.com