Global awards for Sunday Times photographer

Sunday Times photographer James Oatway has received international recognition for his portfolio of pictures documenting conflict in Africa.

He was honoured in the news picture story category (newspaper division) of the 71st annual Pictures of the Year International competition, and also received portfolio honours in the competition's photographer of the year (newspaper division) category, winning second place in both divisions.

The judges said his portfolio exhibited strong content displayed with a personal artistry.

Oatway said he was surprised and honoured to have received the awards.

"I am very proud to represent South African photographers on a world stage. It's not often photographers are recognised as journalists back home," he said. These are stories of Africa, our stories, and we need to tell them."

In the category of photographer of the year, Oatway was judged on pictures shot at Oscar Pistorius's first court appearance, as well as those taken in the aftermath of the death of Nelson Mandela.

But it was his coverage of the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo that gave Oatway the edge.

He and colleague Stephan Hofstatter spent months planning their trip to the Congo to investigate the relationship between mining and conflict in the region. They spent days trekking across rough terrain, through mud and jungle.

"We arrived just as one of the most important battles of the war against the M23 rebels kicked off," said Oatway.

"The UN Force Intervention Brigade was deployed for the first time in that battle."

South African troops played a key role in the UN victory over the rebels in Goma, in the eastern Congo.

It was Oatway's ability to get close to the battle and capture the fighting on the Three Towers rebel-held hill that earned him second place in the competition.

"It was really hard to operate because the Congolese military were restricting journalists and threatening to expel any who filed a negative story," he said. "Bombs were falling randomly on Goma. One landed a few hundred metres from our hotel."

Oatway, 35, was also honoured for excellence in the 2011 Pictures of the Year International competition.