Press Photo Serbia 2025

The professional jury of the Press Photo Serbia 2025 competition unanimously decided to grant the Main Award to Andrej Hložan for his photograph Kobre, which bears witness, in an exceptionally powerful, professional, and documentarily precise way, to one of the most serious moments in Serbia’s public life over the past year.

Andrej Hložan captured one of the key moments during the mass demonstrations. The author was positioned at the very centre of the event, creating an image that combines outstanding informational value with a strong visual expression. Despite the extreme conditions in which it was taken — darkness, smoke, and physical danger — the photograph remains clear, legible, and precise in conveying the event.

Visually, the scene is highly suggestive: a row of tense bodies, improvised means of protection, and a figure holding a firearm clearly articulate an atmosphere of fear, uncertainty, and escalation. The photograph does not take sides; it bears witness, remaining faithful to the fundamental principles of press and documentary photography — impartiality, responsibility, and truthfulness.

Andrej Hložan’s Kobre goes beyond the mere illustration of a news event and becomes a visual document of its time, clearly demonstrating why photography remains one of the most powerful media of contemporary communication.

Precisely because of its authenticity, professional courage, ethical consistency, and ability to condense a complex social moment into a single frame, the jury recognised this photograph as the most significant work of the Press Photo Serbia 2025 competition.