Reuters photograph to receive lifetime achievement award

Larry Downing, senior photographer with Reuters, will receive the White House News Photographers Association Lifetime Achievement Award at its annual awards gala in May.

Downing began covering the White House for U.P.I. in 1978 when Jimmy Carter was president. Since that time Downing has been assigned by Newsweek magazine and since 1997 by Reuters to provide coverage of the presidency, Washington and the world.

He has won numerous awards throughout his career for his still photography and in recent years for his multimedia efforts. Larry has been the author and producer of several widely read and acclaimed multimedia blogs for Reuters documenting the casualties and wounded warriors of America’s recent wars, the lives of NFL cheerleaders, a behind-the-scenes look at an all-female rock and roll tribute band and tattoo culture in the United States. He has also authored blog posts about the presidency and covering the White House.

“The quality of his body of work over 37 years is incredible,” said Ron Sachs, president of the association, in a statement. “He has earned numerous awards for his efforts. Larry is an institution at the White House. I am proud to have been a friend and colleague to Larry over these many years.”

Downinghas been nominated for Reuters global Journalist of the Year awards several times. He has won it twice, once as the part of the team covering the U.S. presidential election campaign in 2008 and once solo in 2009 as Multimedia Storyteller of the Year globally for his multimedia blog about the survivors of fallen U.S. warriors entitled “Those Left Behind: The Legacy of Arlington’s Section 60.”

Along with colleague Jason Reed, he also won a prestigious 2012 Edward R. Murrow award in the News Documentary category for multimedia coverage of wounded combat veterans entitled, “Souvenirs of War: Purple Hearts, Prosthetics and Phantom Pains.” Larry has won numerous still and multimedia photo awards from the WHNPA, China International Press Photo Contest, Best of Photojournalism, Pictures of the Year International and multiple National Headliner Awards.