obs-Awards 2009: Panasonic Marketing Europe Wins Best PR Photo of the Year

HAMBURG, Germany, December 1 - The dpa subsidiary, news aktuell, announced that Panasonic Marketing
Europe GmbH has won the best PR photo award of the year. The company won
first place in the industry's 2009 obs-Awards for its "Panasonic Toughbook
CF-30" picture. Its entry, submitted in the product photo category, shows a
laptop withstanding harsh outdoor conditions. This is the fourth year the dpa
subsidiary news aktuell has run the competition for the best PR photos from
Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

To view the Multimedia News Release, please click:

multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/prne/newsaktuell/39244/

Frank Stadthoewer, news aktuell's Chief Executive, was delighted with the
large number and the high quality of the entries and stressed the
effectiveness of pictorial communications: "The standard that PR photography
has reached in recent years is demonstrated by the 1,300 entries to our
awards. Companies are aware that pictures are a highly useful PR tool,
particularly in a world of internet communications, but also in the
traditional media. Users and clients now expect companies to provide material
that they can use for their blogs or Facebook profiles.

The dpa subsidiary, news aktuell, started the sector awards in 2006. The
name of the successful competition originates from the German title meaning
"original picture service" (abbreviated to "obs"). Businesses, organisations
and PR agencies submit photos that they have offered free of charge for media
use. The trade magazine "pressesprecher" is the media partner. Canon and PCP
Partner supported the sector awards. For the first time, submissions were
invited from three countries - Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The Austrian
partner was APA-OTS Originaltext-Service GmbH and the Swiss partner news
aktuell (Schweiz) AG.

Winners of the 2009 obs-Awards:

    1st prize and winner of the main award "Best 2009 PR photo": Panasonic
    Marketing Europe GmbH, "Panasonic Toughbook CF-30"

    Corporate communications category

    1st prize: Publicis GmbH, "Light for Africa" (Subject: Lake Victoria)
    2nd prize: Publicis GmbH, "Light for Africa" (Subject: Woman)
    3rd prize: Neue Aargauer Bank AG, "2008 annual report"

    Events and campaigns category

    1st prize: Hornbach Baumarkt AG, "Swimmer/picture"
    2nd prize: Greenpeace e.V., "Greenpeace at Deutsche Bank"
    3rd prize: Erlebnis-Zoo Hanover, "Flamingo chick at Erlebnis-Zoo Hanover"

    Product photo category

    1st prize: Panasonic Marketing Europe GmbH, "Panasonic Toughbook CF-30"
    2nd prize: Jahreszeiten Verlag GmbH, SELBER MACHEN Editorial
    Department, SELBER MACHEN calendar
    3rd prize: Publicis Consultants Deutschland PRCC Germany GmbH, "Cointreau
    Teese"

    Portrait category

    1st prize: Palfinger AG, "Zehnder/Hard Times"
    2nd prize: Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, Adelbert-von-Chamisso Award -
    Robert Bosch Foundation 2009: promotional prize-winner, María Cecilia
    Barbetta
    3rd prize: Stiftung Jugend Forscht e.V., 44th "Jugend Forscht"
    Competition

    Programme listings and magazine photography category

    1st prize: CNN International, "Buddha's Warriors"
    2nd prize: St. Pauli Nachrichten - Das Kiez-Magazin, "Hotdog with
    mastiff"
    3rd prize: Sony Pictures Television International Deutschland GmbH, "AXN
    celebrates a German TV premier, Breaking Bad"

    NGO photo category

    1st prize: Kindernothilfe, "I'm changing the world"
    2nd prize: Aktion Deutschland Hilft e.V., "Tsunami: devastation on
    coastal road"
    3rd prize: Adveniat, "Restavèks': Child labour in Haiti"

    2009 obs-awards specialist jury:

    * Bernd von Jutrczenka, Chief Picture Editor, dpa
    * Marc-Oliver Voigt, Editor in Chief, pressesprecher
    * Jürgen Dürrwald, Head of Photographic Division, WDR
    * Doris Fanconi, Photo Team Manager, Tages-Anzeiger
    * Christian Guth, Deputy Editor (Visual), BUNTE
    * Harald Schneider, Head of Picture Library, APA
    * Frank Syré, Deputy Editor, bild.de
    * Frank Schleicher, obs Product Manager, news aktuell

Voting procedures: A specialist jury of photo journalists and
communications professionals drew up a shortlist of 60 of the best photos
from a total of almost 1,300 entries. Photo journalists, press officers and
PR professionals from Germany, Austria and Switzerland voted publicly for the
best press photo.

For full details of the 2009 obs-awards: www.obs-awards.de

The specialist 2009 obs-awards jury: www.obs-awards.de/jury

obs: www.newsaktuell.de/obs

All the current obs photos: www.presseportal.de/bilder

Initiators of the 2009 obs-awards:

www.newsaktuell.de

www.newsaktuell.ch

www.ots.at

The 2009 obs Awards were supported by:

www.pcp-online.eu

www.canon.de

    Press contact:
    news aktuell GmbH
    Birte Arnold
    Head of PR
    Telephone: +49(0)40-4113-32772
    arnold@newsaktuell.de

Press contact: news aktuell GmbH, Birte Arnold, Head of PR, Telephone: +49(0)40-4113-32772, arnold at newsaktuell.de