The creative award winners Lu Yuanmin (L) and Yang Yankang (M), a special contribution award winner Yang Kelin held their trophies at the award ceremony on Wednesday in Guangzhou. [Photo: China Foto Press]

The first-ever Sha Fei Photography Award formally announced on Wednesday its first three prominent winners at Guangdong Art Museum.

The award, which has been established in honor of Sha Fei, China's first army photography journalist, known as “Father of China's news photography”, aims to reward every two years three major Chinese photographers who outstand in their fields by focusing their cameras on the society and human life.

The academic award went to Gu Zheng and the creative awards went to Yang Yankang and Lu Yuanmin.

The organizers also gave out a special contribution award to Yang Kelin for his years of achievements in collection, compilation and research on the history of Chinese people’s anti-Japanese war.

Sha Fei, lived between1912 and 1950, was the first Chinese army photographer who covered some major battles of China's war against Japanese aggression in the late 1930’s. He was the photographer who took the last shots of China’s great writer Lu Xun and the famous Canadian volunteer doctor Norman Bethune who came and supported the Chinese people in their resistance against Japanese aggression.

Although short in life, Sha Fei was one of the most prominent photographers in China in the 20th century. He left a valuable photographic legacy which he created with a profound humanistic approach that lent great depth to his works.

The Awards was proposed by Sha Fei's daughter Wang Yan.