Prague - An international jury has named a photograph of a massive traffic accident that took place on the D1 motorway on 20 March this year the best Czech journalistic photograph of 2008.

The photo, taken by Reuters' David W. Černý, depicts a couple standing and hugging each other with a blue blanket wrapped around their shoulders, surrounded by piled-up cars on a frosty road.

"The jury had to make very difficult decisions about who's going to get the Photo of the Year award, as the quality of nominated works was overall very high," the jury wrote in a press release.

"The work we have awarded this prestigious title epitomizes the perils associated with our dependence on automobiles. The hugging couple surrounded by car wrecks are realizing that they have survived by mere chance. The blanket they are wrapped in is blue, which is the colour of hope. The photograph points to one of the biggest dangers in our everyday lives," the jury wrote.

The 14th edition of the annual Czech Press Photo contest featured 4,352 works by 299 photographers from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. A selection made by the jury will be on display at the Czech Press Photo 2008 exhibition from 14 November 2008 to 31 January 2009 at Prague's Old Town Hall.

To view Czech Press Photo website, click here.