Entry Title: " Naadam Horse Races"
Name: Tomasz Gudzowaty, Poland
Category: Professional, Sports


Entry Description: Naadam is the largest Mongolian festival, celebrated annually in July and August. The three disciplines of Naadam are wrestling, archery and horse races. These sports have their roots in the warrior tradition of the country and although intended primarily for men, children and women participate in all but the wrestling category. In fact, children are preferred as jockeys; their light weight is less challenging for horses over long distances. The pictures were taken in Baganuur and Erdenesant.

I was born in 1971; graduated in law at the University of Warsaw in 1992, but very soon after I decided to pursue a career in photography. In 1999 I was awarded the first prize in Nature category at the World Press Photo contest. From that time on I had various publications in magazines (among others: Max – German edition, L’Equipe, The Guardian, Newsweek – Polish edition, Forbes – Polish edition, Reponses Photo, British Journal of Photography) and awards (World Press Photo, Pictures of the Year, NPPA Best of Photojournalism). I cooperate with Focus Fotoagentur in Hamburg and Yours Foundation in Warsaw.