Nadine Weigel, a photographer and editor for the Oberhessische Presse (OP), has been honored with the Press Photo of the Year 2025 award by the Hessian Journalists' Association. She received the prestigious recognition on Wednesday evening, October 29, at a ceremony held in the Hessian State Parliament.

Weigel's winning photograph, titled "Climbing Art," captured a construction worker scaling the steel framework of a 115-foot-tall high-bay warehouse being built by Seidel company in Fronhausen, northern Germany. The construction site, visible from miles around, caught the experienced photographer's keen eye as a compelling subject that demanded artistic treatment. The dramatic image would prove to be far more rewarding than she initially anticipated.

The OP's photo editorial department boasts numerous certificates and trophies accumulated over the years, demonstrating the consistently outstanding work produced by the newspaper's visual team. "There have been many recognition prizes before, including awards in categories like Environment and Climate or People and Moments, but I had never won the main prize," Weigel said with well-deserved pride.

The seven-member press photo jury praised Weigel's snapshot as "The Human in the Machine," describing their first impression of the winning photograph from Marburg. The judges were particularly impressed by the image composition, where monochrome steel beams of the high-bay warehouse fill the background while a worker climbs the structure at dizzying heights.

The Press Photo of the Year 2025 award comes with a prize money of 2,000 euros, and Weigel didn't hesitate to decide how the funds would be used. "Part of it goes to my Miro children, part to the youth fire department," she announced, referring to her long-standing charitable commitments.

Since 2010, Weigel has been supporting the Mighty Redeemer Orphanage (Miro children's home) in Kenya alongside Dr. Vera Fleig, a physician. She dedicates every free minute to acquiring as much support as possible for her project in Africa. When not actively working for Miro, she volunteers with the local fire department, demonstrating her commitment to community service both locally and internationally.

The jury commended Weigel's photograph as an impressive representation of current technological transformation. According to their statement, the Photo of the Year impressively shows the role of humans in a constantly changing work environment. The experts noted that Hesse, as the center of Germany, serves as a main hub for goods and data, and the image clearly illustrates the changes in the working world throughout the state.

Weigel completed her journalism traineeship at Oberhessische Presse in 2007 and has been working as an editor since 2009. State Parliament President Astrid Wallmann of the Christian Democratic Union serves as patron of the press photo competition. In her speech at the parliament, she honored the OP newsroom winner with these words: "This year's winning photo impressively illuminates the role of humans in our highly technological age. It encourages us to look more closely and pay attention to details."

Wallmann further explained that in a world of transformation, where conditions and possibilities change rapidly, images don't necessarily represent what they show at first glance. "Deception is often just one step away," the State Parliament President noted. "In this context, it becomes even more important to examine one's own perception. Press photographs like those by Nadine Weigel make a valuable journalistic contribution."

Knud Zilian, chairman of the Hessian Journalists' Association, reinforced the importance of the recognition: "We focus on photojournalists annually because they continue to play an important role in the media and yet are increasingly threatened."

The Wednesday evening ceremony also recognized winners in four additional categories. Lucas Bäuml won in the People and Country category with his competition photo "Five Years Later." In the Environment and Climate division, Ben Kilb's photograph "Forest Fire at Großer Zacken" took first place. Peter Jülich emerged victorious in the Sports and Recreation category with an image from the German Hobby Horsing Championships, while in the Business and Mobility section, Boris Roessler's photo "An Airplane on the Highway" claimed the top prize.