South African cameraman Garwin McLuckie has been named Camera Operator of the Year in the 2008 Royal Television Society (RTS) Television Journalism Awards.
The awards are presented annually in London and are aimed at recognising creative and excellent journalism from UK news broadcasters, McLuckie, who works for Sky News in the UK, was honoured by the RTS for his work in Africa between 2007 and 2008, which included filming the social and political breakdown of Zimbabwe, the violence that erupted in Kenya shortly after the 2008 elections as well as a piece on famine in Ethiopia.
Praising McLuckie's work, the judges said ‘The winner’s work in Africa was fearless and showed a remarkable empathy for the problems faced by people across the continent. His story-telling was impressive and his work demonstrated immense personal bravery and the highest technical skills.”
"You can't get any bigger than this for a news cameraman - this is like the Oscars," McLuckie told Sky News. "I was up against some unbelievable competition. It's absolutely amazing.”
According to The Times, McLuckie has returned to South Africa in order to cover the 2009 elections.
Click here to watch McLuckie's piece on famine in Ethiopia
