Ping pong is more than a sport in China - it's simply a part of daily life. The national sport of 1.3 billion people, it's beloved by everyone from kindergartners to grandmothers. The game's important cultural role is evident just by looking around China's cities, with ping pong tables claiming a prime spot in parks, apartment compounds and even along busy streets.Though much of China is still poor, nearly everyone has the means to play ping pong. All that's needed is a table, two paddles and a ball.(AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
1979 Born in Jerusalem
1998-2001 Served as a Photographer for the IDF magazine "BAMAHANE"
2001-2001 Photographer for "Zoom 77" News Agency
From 2002 AP (Associated Press) Photographer in Jerusalem
2005 Was chosen to attend the JOOP World Press Master Class
2007-2008 was based in Beijing, China, for Associated Press
Today Balilty lives in Tel-Aviv and engages with newsworthy and documentary photography in Israel and abroad.
Solo Exhibitions
2000 "Reflected Reality" (with artist Anna Shapira), Z.O.A House, Tel-Aviv
2005 Coalmine photo gallery, Zurich, Switzerland
2006 â??Chernobyl Todayâ??, festival du Scoop, Angers, France
2007 Musée d'ethnographie de Neuchâtel, Switzerland
2007 Lucca Digital Photo Festival, Italy
2007 â??Chernobyl Todayâ??, Coalmine photo gallery, Zurich, Switzerland
2008 "China", photo festival of Gijon, Spain
Selected group exhibitions
2004 "AP Jerusalem", VISA pour L'image Perpignan, France
2005 joint exhibition of Israeli and Palestinian photographers, War photography museum, Dubrovnik, Croatia
2008 Yad Vashem holocaust museum, Jerusalem
Awards
2003 APME News Photography Award for the coverage of Violence in the Middle East
2004 1st prize of the Editor and Publisher Award for multiple images/photo essay from Chernobyl
2006 Unicef Photo of the Year honorable mention for "single picture"
2006 Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar - awarded 1st Place and best in show
2006 Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar 2006 1st place in spot news
2006 1st' prize of the Editor and Publisher Award for Multiple Images Photo Essay and honorable mention for "single picture"
2007 Pulitzer Prize in Photography braking News
2007 1st prize in "People in the news" World Press Photo
2007 1st prize in Germany Lead Awards 2007 in the
Photography Category
2007 1st prize in POYI in human conflict category
2007 1st prize in International Headliner Award
2007 1st and 2nd prize in NPPA
2007 1st prize in National Headliner Award for Magazines, News Services, Syndicates - Spot News Photography
2007 Photography Spot News in Sigma Delta Chi Award
2007 Awarded at the National Geographic All Roads Photography Program
2007 APME Award for the cover of the Israeli - Lebanese War (with group of Photographers)
2008 World Press Photo - 3rd place People in the news
2008 Picture of the Year International (POYI) 3rd place in news picture story
2008 APME for the coverage of earthquake in south west China in May 2008
2008 Unicef Photo of the Year 2nd place for the coverage of earthquake in south west China in May 2008
2009 Picture of the Year International (POYI) Award of excellence for his work "Ping pong Nation" from Beijing and Award of excellence for the coverage of earthquake in south west China in
2009 Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar received awards in five categories for his work in China
2009 The PGB Award 1st prize for the coverage of earthquake in south west China
2009 The 75th National Headliner Awards in Photography portfolio
2009 NPPA Awards, Honorable mention, in Natural Disaster category
2009 Pulitzer Prize finalist for the coverage of earthquake in south west China (with group of photographers from The Associated Press)
