View source for Nick Ut

{{Short description|Vietnamese-American photographer and photojournalist}}
{{family name hatnote|Huỳnh|Ut (Út)|Huynh|lang=Vietnamese}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name        = Nick Ut
| image       = Nick Ut speaks with the press (cropped).jpg
| caption     = Ut in 2016 holding a copy of ''[[The Terror of War]]''
| birth_name  = Huỳnh Công Út
| birth_date  = {{Birth date and age|1951|3|29}}
| birth_place = Bình Quới, [[Châu Thành district, Long An province|Châu Thành]], [[Long An Province|Long An]], [[State of Vietnam]], [[French Union]]<ref>{{cite web|url= https://laodong.vn/van-hoa-giai-tri/cung-nick-ut-ve-tham-noi-chon-nhau-cat-ron-610931.ldo |title= Cùng Nick Út về thăm nơi chôn nhau cắt rốn |author= Kỳ Quan |language= vi |work= Báo Lao Động |date= June 4, 2018 |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319182041/https://laodong.vn/van-hoa-giai-tri/cung-nick-ut-ve-tham-noi-chon-nhau-cat-ron-610931.ldo |url-status=live}}<br/>{{cite web|url= https://thanhnien.vn/nick-ut-tham-lai-que-xua-18569529.htm |title= Nick Út thăm lại quê xưa |author= Hoàng Phương |language= vi |work= [[Thanh Niên]] |date= April 2, 2012 |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319181953/https://thanhnien.vn/nick-ut-tham-lai-que-xua-18569529.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>
| death_date  = 
| death_place = 
| occupation  = [[Photojournalism]]
| citizenship = American
| credits     = [[Pulitzer Prize]]<br/>[[World Press Photo]]<br/>[[National Medal of Arts]]
}}

'''Huỳnh Công Út''', known professionally as '''Nick Ut''' (born March 29, 1951),<ref>{{cite web|url= https://leicagalleryla.com/gallery-view/nick-ut-from-hell-to-hollywood/ |title= Nick Ut "From Hell to Hollywood" |work= Leica Gallery Los Angeles |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319162539/https://leicagalleryla.com/gallery-view/nick-ut-from-hell-to-hollywood/ |url-status=live}}</ref> is a Vietnamese-American photographer who worked for the [[Associated Press]] in Los Angeles.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Journalism|url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediajour00ster_321|url-access=limited|last=Hudson|first=Berkley|publisher=SAGE|year=2009|isbn=978-0-7619-2957-4|editor-last=Sterling|editor-first=Christopher H.|location=Thousand Oaks, Calif.|pages=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediajour00ster_321/page/n1094 1060]–67}}</ref> He won both the 1973 [[Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography]] and the 1973 [[World Press Photo|World Press Photo of the Year]] for the 1972 photograph ''[[The Terror of War]]'', depicting children running away from a [[napalm]] bombing attack during the [[Vietnam War]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pulitzer.org/prize-winners-by-category/274 |title=Spot News Photography |website=The Pulitzer Prizes |access-date=July 31, 2018}}</ref> Since the release of the documentary ''[[The Stringer]]'' in 2025, the authorship of the photograph has been disputed; the documentary identified Nguyễn Thành Nghệ as the author, AP stood with the attribution to Ut, and [[World Press Photo]] suspended the authorship attribution until more evidence is available.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worldpressphoto.org/news/2025/authorship-attribution-suspended-for-the-terror-of-war|title=Authorship attribution suspended for 'The Terror of War' photograph &#124; World Press Photo }}</ref> In 2017, he retired.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.detroitnews.com/picture-gallery/news/nation/2017/03/13/associated-press-photographer-nick-ut-to-retire/99151422/ |title= Associated Press photographer Nick Ut to retire |work= [[The Detroit News]] |date= March 13, 2017 |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319160207/https://www.detroitnews.com/picture-gallery/news/nation/2017/03/13/associated-press-photographer-nick-ut-to-retire/99151422/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Examples of his work may be found in the collection of the [[National Gallery of Art]] in Washington, DC.<ref name="nga">{{cite web|url= https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.44453.html |title= Nick Ut |work= [[National Gallery of Art]] |access-date= May 13, 2024 |archive-date= May 13, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240513112220/https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.44453.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Biography==
Born in [[Long An Province|Long An]], [[State of Vietnam|Vietnam]] (then part of [[French Indochina]]), Ut began to take photographs for the Associated Press when he was 15,<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/nick-ut-photographer-behind-napalm-girl-picture-announces-march-retirement-n636086 |title= Nick Ut, Photographer Behind 'Napalm Girl' Picture, Announces March Retirement |author= Frances Kai-Hwa Wang |work= [[NBC News]] |date= August 23, 2016 |access-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240320124652/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/nick-ut-photographer-behind-napalm-girl-picture-announces-march-retirement-n636086 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.voanews.com/a/a-13-2009-01-06-voa53-68809917/363049.html |title= Photographer Nick Ut: Witness to History |work= [[Voice of America]] |date= November 2, 2009 |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319160304/https://www.voanews.com/a/a-13-2009-01-06-voa53-68809917/363049.html |url-status=live}}</ref> just after his older brother [[Huynh Thanh My]], another AP photographer, was killed in Vietnam.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.latimes.com/visuals/framework/la-me-nick-ut-vietnam-unfurled-photos-20170329-htmlstory.html |title= The early years covering Vietnam by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Nick Ut |work= [[Los Angeles Times]] |date= March 30, 2017 |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319110852/https://www.latimes.com/visuals/framework/la-me-nick-ut-vietnam-unfurled-photos-20170329-htmlstory.html |url-status=live}}</ref> His closest friend in the Saigon bureau, [[Henri Huet]], also died in 1971 after volunteering to take the weary Ut's place on an assignment.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.denverpost.com/2017/03/13/napalm-girl-photographer-nick-ut-retire/ |title= AP's legendary "Napalm Girl" photographer Nick Ut to retire |author= [[Associated Press]] |work= [[The Denver Post]] |date= March 28, 2017 |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319134943/https://www.denverpost.com/2017/03/13/napalm-girl-photographer-nick-ut-retire/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

After the [[fall of Saigon]] in 1975, Ut himself was wounded three different times in the war in his knee, arm, and stomach. He moved to [[Tokyo]] and arrived in [[Los Angeles]] two years later.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-nick-ut-adv-snap-story.html |title= From Vietnam to Los Angeles: Photographer who captured iconic image on one road sees end of another |author= Anh Do |work= [[Los Angeles Times]] |date= August 21, 2016 |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319110829/https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-nick-ut-adv-snap-story.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

==''The Terror of War''==
{{main|The Terror of War}}
[[File:The Terror of War.jpg|thumb|alt=Scared children flee on a road, with soldiers behind them and a smoky sky; in the center is a nude girl, screaming and lifting her arms while running|''The Terror of War'' was long credited to Nick Ut, but the authorship of the photograph is now disputed]]
''[[The Terror of War]]'', also colloquially called ''Napalm Girl'',<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/southeast-asia/napalm-girl-vietnam-war-photo-b2096358.html |title= 50 years later, 'Napalm girl' says iconic photo made it difficult to 'navigate private and emotional life' |first= Namita |last= Singh |work= [[The Independent]] |date= June 8, 2022 |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319170907/https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/southeast-asia/napalm-girl-vietnam-war-photo-b2096358.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/Kim-Phuc-Phan-Thi-Napalm-Girl-180980227/ |title= Fifty Years Later, Kim Phuc Phan Thi Is More Than 'Napalm Girl' |first= Jane |last= Recker |work= [[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian]] |date= June 10, 2022 |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319170400/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/Kim-Phuc-Phan-Thi-Napalm-Girl-180980227/ |url-status=live}}</ref> is a photograph that was long-credited to Ut but possibly taken by Nguyen Thanh Nghe or Huynh Cong Phuc, according to a [[World Press]] investigation. It features a naked 9-year-old girl, [[Phan Thi Kim Phuc]], running toward the camera from a South Vietnamese napalm strike that mistakenly hit [[Trang Bang|Trảng Bàng]] village instead of nearby North Vietnamese troops on June 8, 1972.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/04/vietnam-war-napalm-girl-photo-today |title= Photographer Who Took Iconic Vietnam Photo Looks Back, 40 Years After the War Ended |first= Mark Edward |last= Harris |work= [[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |date= April 3, 2015 |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319110830/https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/04/vietnam-war-napalm-girl-photo-today |url-status=live}}</ref> It became one of the most famous images of the [[Vietnam War]] and an indictment of the effects of war on innocent victims in general.<ref name=NOS />

The publication of the photograph was delayed due to the AP bureau's debate about transmitting a naked girl's photograph over the wire.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://theconversation.com/accidental-napalm-turns-50-the-generation-defining-image-capturing-the-futility-of-the-vietnam-war-175050 |title= 'Accidental Napalm' turns 50: the generation-defining image capturing the futility of the Vietnam war |first= Stephen |last= Khan |work= [[The Conversation (website)|The Conversation]] |date= June 6, 2022 |access-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240320153832/https://theconversation.com/accidental-napalm-turns-50-the-generation-defining-image-capturing-the-futility-of-the-vietnam-war-175050 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The photograph won many major photographic awards, including the [[World Press Photo]] for [[World Press Photo of the Year|Photo of the Year]], the [[George Polk Awards]] for News Photography, the [[1973 Pulitzer Prize]] for [[Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography|Spot News Photography]] and the [[Overseas Press Club]] as Best Photograph, Daily Newspaper or Wire Service.<ref name=WP /><ref name=GPA /><ref name=NYT /><ref name=FI />

===Nick Ut's story===
Before delivering his film with photographs, Ut set his camera aside to rush 9-year-old Kim Phuc to a hospital, where doctors saved her life. He said: "I cried when I saw her running... If I don’t help her, if something happened and she died, I think I’d kill myself after that".<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-nick-ut-retirement-20170313-story.html |title= 'Napalm Girl' photographer Nick Ut looks back at a career that included war's carnage and Hollywood's red carpets |author= [[Associated Press]] |work= [[Los Angeles Times]] |date= March 13, 2017 |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319111032/https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-nick-ut-retirement-20170313-story.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

{{blockquote|... an editor at the AP rejected the photo of Kim Phuc running down the road without clothing because it showed frontal nudity. Pictures of nudes of all ages and sexes, and especially frontal views were an absolute no-no at the Associated Press in 1972&nbsp;... [[Horst Faas|Horst]] argued by [[telex]] with the New York head-office that an exception must be made, with the compromise that no close-up of the girl Kim Phuc alone would be transmitted. The New York photo editor, [[Hal Buell]], agreed that the news value of the photograph overrode any reservations about nudity.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Faas |first1=Horst |author1-link=Horst Faas |last2=Fulton |first2=Marianne |title=How the Picture Reached the World |url= https://digitaljournalist.org/issue0008/ng4.htm |issue=8 |work=[[The Digital Journalist]] |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319141921/https://digitaljournalist.org/issue0008/ng4.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>|Nick Ut}}

In 2022, he gave a copy of the photograph to [[Pope Francis]].<ref>{{cite news|title= Fotograaf geeft wereldberoemde foto van 'napalmmeisje' aan paus |work= [[Nederlandse Omroep Stichting|NOS]]  |language= nl |url=https://nos.nl/artikel/2428429-fotograaf-geeft-wereldberoemde-foto-van-napalmmeisje-aan-paus |date=May 11, 2022|access-date= May 16, 2025  }}</ref>

===Controversies===
[[Nixon White House tapes|Audiotapes of]] then-president [[Richard Nixon]] in conversation with his chief of staff, [[H. R. Haldeman]], show that Nixon doubted the veracity of the photograph, musing whether it may have been "fixed".<ref>{{cite news |last=Collins |first=Dan |date=February 28, 2002 |title=Nixon, The A-Bomb, And Napalm |url= https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nixon-the-a-bomb-and-napalm-28-02-2002/ |work=[[CBS News]] |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319171716/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nixon-the-a-bomb-and-napalm-28-02-2002/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

In September 2016,<ref>{{cite news |last=Ohlheiser |first=Abby |date=September 9, 2016 |title=Facebook backs down, will no longer censor the iconic 'Napalm Girl' war photo |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/09/09/abusing-your-power-mark-zuckerberg-slammed-after-facebook-censors-vietnam-war-photo/ |newspaper= [[The Washington Post]] |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319171454/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/09/09/abusing-your-power-mark-zuckerberg-slammed-after-facebook-censors-vietnam-war-photo/ |url-status=live}}</ref> a Norway newspaper published an open letter to [[Mark Zuckerberg]] after censorship was imposed on this photograph placed on the newspaper's Facebook page.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/10/technology/facebook-vietnam-war-photo-nudity.html |title= Facebook Restores Iconic Vietnam War Photo It Censored for Nudity |first1= Mark |last1= Scott |first2= Mike |last2= Isaac |work= [[The New York Times]] |date= September 9, 2016 |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= February 23, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240223191009/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/10/technology/facebook-vietnam-war-photo-nudity.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.aftenposten.no/meninger/kommentar/i/G892Q/dear-mark-i-am-writing-this-to-inform-you-that-i-shall-not-comply-with-your-requirement-to-remove-this-picture |title= Dear Mark. I am writing this to inform you that I shall not comply with your requirement to remove this picture. |first= Espen Egil |last= Hansen |work= [[Aftenposten]] |date= December 27, 2016 |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319171807/https://www.aftenposten.no/meninger/kommentar/i/G892Q/dear-mark-i-am-writing-this-to-inform-you-that-i-shall-not-comply-with-your-requirement-to-remove-this-picture |url-status=live}}</ref> Half of the ministers in the Norwegian government shared the photograph on their Facebook pages, among them prime minister [[Erna Solberg]] from the Conservative Party. Several of the Facebook posts, including the Prime Minister's post, were deleted by Facebook,<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.politico.eu/article/norwegian-prime-minister-facebook-wrong-to-censor-vietnam-war-picture/ |title= Facebook accused of censorship of 'Napalm girl' picture |first= Hortense |last= Goulard |work= [[Politico]] |date= September 9, 2016 |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319173726/https://www.politico.eu/article/norwegian-prime-minister-facebook-wrong-to-censor-vietnam-war-picture/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/sep/09/facebook-deletes-norway-pms-post-napalm-girl-post-row |title= Facebook deletes Norwegian PM's post as 'napalm girl' row escalates |first1= Alice |last1= Ross |first2= Julia Carrie |last2= Wong |work= [[The Guardian]] |date= September 9, 2016 |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319173604/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/sep/09/facebook-deletes-norway-pms-post-napalm-girl-post-row |url-status=live}}</ref> but later that day, Facebook reinstated the picture and said "the value of permitting sharing outweighs the value of protecting the community by removal".<ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://time.com/4485344/napalm-girl-war-photo-facebook/ |title= The Story Behind the 'Napalm Girl' Photo Censored by Facebook |author= Time Photo |magazine= [[Time (Magazine)|Time]] |date= September 9, 2016 |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= February 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240219194850/https://time.com/4485344/napalm-girl-war-photo-facebook/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-10/facebook-reverses-move-to-censor-napalm-girl-photo/7832894 |title= Facebook reverses move to censor 'napalm girl' photo |author= AFP |work= [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |date= September 10, 2016 |access-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240320153905/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-10/facebook-reverses-move-to-censor-napalm-girl-photo/7832894 |url-status=live}}</ref>

A 2025 documentary, ''[[The Stringer]]'' investigates the authorship of the photo and claims that it was not taken by Ut but by a Vietnamese photographer named Nguyễn Thành Nghệ. Ut and [[Associated Press]] both deny the claim.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Horton |first1=Adrian |title='Uncomfortable truths': controversial film challenges authorship of famous photo |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jan/26/the-stringer-documentary-napalm-girl-photo |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en |issn= 1756-3224 |date=26 January 2025 |access-date= February 1, 2025 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20250201092450/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jan/26/the-stringer-documentary-napalm-girl-photo |archive-date= February 1, 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref> After a year-long investigation into the authorship of the "Napalm Girl" photo, the Associated Press concluded there was no convincing evidence who the photographer is.<ref>{{cite news|title= The Associated Press won't change 'Napalm Girl' photo credit |date= May 7, 2025 |newspaper= [[The Washington Post]] |issn= 0190-8286 |language= en |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2025/05/06/napalm-girl-nick-ut-associated-press/ |access-date= May 7, 2025 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20250507164616/https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/media/2025/05/06/napalm-girl-nick-ut-associated-press/ |archive-date= May 7, 2025 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title= Associated Press finds 'no definitive evidence' to change credit for famous Vietnam War photo |first= David |last= Bauder |date= May 7, 2025 |work= [[Associated Press News]] |language= en |url= https://apnews.com/article/vietnam-war-napalm-girl-photograph-credit-f56690ac24205985c67fb79c688e94e9 |access-date= May 7, 2025 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20250507193046/https://apnews.com/article/vietnam-war-napalm-girl-photograph-credit-f56690ac24205985c67fb79c688e94e9 |archive-date= May 7, 2025 |url-status=dead}}</ref> [[World Press]] carried out its own investigation into the photographer and presented their findings on 10 May in [[Amsterdam]]. They concluded based on an analysis of the location, distance and the camera used, that it is more likely that the photo was taken by Nguyen Thanh Nghe or Huynh Cong Phuc, as they were in a better position than Ut. Given the remaining uncertainty, World Press announced that it would suspend the attribution of authorship to the photo going forwards.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Horton |first1=Adrian |title=‘Napalm Girl’ may be work of different photographer, World Press Photo says |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/may/16/napalm-girl-world-press-photo |website=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=18 May 2025 |date=16 May 2025}}</ref> AP did not change the credit to Ut, citing the absence of conclusive evidence.<ref name=NOS>{{cite news|title= World Press Photo twijfelt over wie iconische Vietnamfoto maakte |date= May 16, 2025 |work= [[Nederlandse Omroep Stichting|NOS]]  |language= nl |url=https://nos.nl/artikel/2567500-world-press-photo-twijfelt-over-wie-iconische-vietnamfoto-maakte |access-date= May 16, 2025  }}</ref>

==Family and later career==
[[File:Nick Ut (15987600200).jpg|thumb|Nick Ut in 2015]]
Ut is a United States citizen and is married with two children in [[Los Angeles]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.thestar.com/news/world/from-hell-to-hollywood-nick-ut-napalm-girl-photographer-hangs-up-press-pass/article_5722b7c7-fa27-5e03-aed0-842e9ea812e3.html |title= 'From hell to Hollywood': Nick Ut, 'Napalm Girl' photographer, hangs up press pass |first= John |last= Rogers |work= [[Toronto Star]] |date= March 14, 2017 |access-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240320172631/https://www.thestar.com/news/world/from-hell-to-hollywood-nick-ut-napalm-girl-photographer-hangs-up-press-pass/article_5722b7c7-fa27-5e03-aed0-842e9ea812e3.html |url-status=live}}</ref> His photos of a crying [[Paris Hilton]] in the back seat of a [[Los Angeles County Sheriff]]'s cruiser on June 8, 2007, were published worldwide; however, Ut was photographing Hilton alongside photographer [[Karl Larsen]]. Two photographs emerged; the more famous photograph of Hilton was credited to Ut despite being Larsen's photo.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jan-20-me-paris-hilton-photo20-story.html |title= Photographer Karl Larsen sues ABC over Paris Hilton photo |first= Harriet |last= Ryan |work= [[Los Angeles Times]] |date= January 20, 2009 |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319114752/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2009-jan-20-me-paris-hilton-photo20-story.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

After working for the ''[[Associated Press]]'' for 51 years, Ut retired in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/napalm-girl-photographer-nick-ut-retires-after-51-years-photojournalism-n739711 |title= 'Napalm Girl' Photographer Nick Ut Retires After 51 Years in Photojournalism |first= Lakshmi |last= Gandhi |work= [[NBC News]] |date= March 29, 2017 |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319114729/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/napalm-girl-photographer-nick-ut-retires-after-51-years-photojournalism-n739711 |url-status=live}}</ref> The photography community in Los Angeles held a retirement party to celebrate Ut's career and exhibit his work (including that iconic Pulitzer Prize-winning photo) at ''The Perfect Exposure Gallery'' in [[Los Angeles]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.ocregister.com/2017/03/29/pulitzer-prize-winning-napalm-girl-photographer-nick-ut-retires-after-51-years/ |title= Pulitzer Prize-winning 'Napalm Girl' photographer Nick Ut retires after 51 years |author= OCR Staff |work= [[The Orange County Register]] |date= April 4, 2017 |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319121512/https://www.ocregister.com/2017/03/29/pulitzer-prize-winning-napalm-girl-photographer-nick-ut-retires-after-51-years/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.theperfectexposuregallery.com/exhibit/nick-ut/ |title= Nick Ut - Los Angeles |work= The Perfect Exposure Gallery |date= March 28, 2017 |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319123105/http://www.theperfectexposuregallery.com/exhibit/nick-ut/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2021, Nick Ut was awarded the [[National Medal of Arts]] for his work during the Vietnam War.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-awarded-national-medal-arts-national-humanities-medal/ |title= President Donald J. Trump Awarded the National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal |work= [[National Archives and Records Administration]] |date= January 14, 2021 |access-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240320141308/https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-awarded-national-medal-arts-national-humanities-medal/ |url-status=live}}</ref> On the eve of receiving the award, Ut published an essay in ''[[Newsweek]]'' explaining why he decided to accept the medal from President [[Donald Trump]] despite political concerns surrounding [[January 6 United States Capitol attack|the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.newsweek.com/nick-ut-why-i-accepted-trumps-medal-freedom-1561181 |title= Nick Ut: Why I Accepted Trump's Medal Of Arts |author= Nick Ut |work= [[Newsweek]] |date= January 13, 2021 |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319110717/https://www.newsweek.com/nick-ut-why-i-accepted-trumps-medal-freedom-1561181 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://deadline.com/2021/01/donald-trump-handed-out-national-medal-of-arts-to-latest-honorees-as-congress-moved-to-impeach-him-for-the-second-time-1234673866/ |title= Donald Trump Handed Out National Medal Of Arts To Latest Honorees As Congress Moved To Impeach Him For The Second Time |first= Ted |last= Johnson |work= [[Deadline Hollywood]] |date= January 14, 2021 |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319130820/https://deadline.com/2021/01/donald-trump-handed-out-national-medal-of-arts-to-latest-honorees-as-congress-moved-to-impeach-him-for-the-second-time-1234673866/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The next day, while out to dinner with a friend, Nick Ut was attacked by a stranger in downtown [[Washington, D.C.|Washington, DC]]. He fell to the ground, hit the metal fence surrounding the tree, and hurt his ribs, back, and leg. It is unclear whether this attack was for political reasons or just coincidental.<ref name="NBC"/> After the incident, Ut received many calls asking about his health, including from [[Phan Thi Kim Phuc|Kim Phuc]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/pulitzer-winning-photographer-attacked-in-dc-day-after-accepting-white-house-award/2543596/ |title= Pulitzer-Winning Photographer Attacked in DC Day After Accepting Award at White House |first= Darcy |last= Spencer |work= [[WRC-TV]] |date= January 16, 2021 |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319135613/https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/pulitzer-winning-photographer-attacked-in-dc-day-after-accepting-white-house-award/2543596/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Accolades ==
[[File:Burgemeester Samkalden verricht opening World Press Photo en reikt prijzen uit, Bestanddeelnr 926-3212.jpg|thumb|''The Terror of War'' was awarded [[World Press Photo of the Year]] in 1973.]]

He was the 2014 [[Lucie Awards]] honoree for Achievement in Photojournalism. [[Kerala Media Academy]] in [[India]] presented him with the World Press Photographer Prize in 2019.

On the 40th anniversary of that [[Pulitzer Prize]]-winning photograph in September 2012, Ut became only the third person inducted into the [[Leica Camera|Leica Hall of Fame]] for his contributions to photojournalism.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/leica-gallery-los-angeles-debuts-from-hell-to-hollywood-by-pulitzer-prize-winning-photographer-nick-ut-300830666.html |title= Leica Gallery Los Angeles Debuts "From Hell to Hollywood" by Pulitzer Prize-Winning Photographer Nick Ut |author= Leica Camera |work= [[PR Newswire]] |date= April 11, 2019 |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319175220/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/leica-gallery-los-angeles-debuts-from-hell-to-hollywood-by-pulitzer-prize-winning-photographer-nick-ut-300830666.html |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2021, he became the first journalist to receive the [[National Medal of Arts]], the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the [[Federal government of the United States|United States federal governments]].<ref name="nma">{{cite web|url= https://www.ap.org/media-center/press-releases/2021/ap-photographer-nick-ut-receives-national-medal-of-arts/ |title= AP photographer Nick Ut receives National Medal of Arts  |website= [[Associated Press]] |agency= [[Associated Press]] |date= January 13, 2021 |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319120320/https://www.ap.org/media-center/press-releases/2021/ap-photographer-nick-ut-receives-national-medal-of-arts/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NBC">{{cite web|url= https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nick-ut-photojournalist-who-made-famed-vietnam-war-napalm-girl-n1254517 |title= Nick Ut, photojournalist who made famed Vietnam War 'napalm girl' image, attacked in D.C. |first= Minyvonne |last= Burke |work= [[NBC News]] |date= January 17, 2021 |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319134026/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nick-ut-photojournalist-who-made-famed-vietnam-war-napalm-girl-n1254517 |url-status=live}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
! scope="col" | Organizations{{efn|Awards, honors and other miscellaneous organizations are listed in alphabetical order.}}
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Category
! scope="col" | Result
! scope="col" class="unsortable" |{{Abbr|Ref.|References}}
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="2"| [[Asian American Journalists Association]] 
| align="center"| 2011
| rowspan="2"| Lifetime Achievement Award
| {{won|Honored}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web|url= https://rafu.com/2012/06/david-ono-to-show-the-power-of-a-picture/ |title= David Ono to Show 'The Power of a Picture' |work= [[Rafu Shimpo]] |date= June 1, 2012 |access-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240320150158/https://rafu.com/2012/06/david-ono-to-show-the-power-of-a-picture/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| align="center"| 2017
| {{won|Honored}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web|url= https://awards.aaja.org/past-awardees-year |title= Past Community Awardees By Year |work= Asian American Journalists Association Awards |access-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240320150725/https://awards.aaja.org/past-awardees-year |url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row"| [[Federal government of the United States]] 
| align="center"| 2021
| [[National Medal of Arts]]
| {{won|Honored}}
| align="center"| <ref name="nma"/>
|-
! scope="row"| [[George Polk Awards]] 
| align="center"| 1972
| News Photography
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref name=GPA>{{cite web|url= https://www.liu.edu/polk-awards/past-winners#1972 |title= Past Winners |work= [[Long Island University]] |access-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240320141952/https://www.liu.edu/polk-awards/past-winners#1972 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row"| [[Kerala Media Academy]] 
| align="center"| 2019
| World Photographer Prize
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/nick-ut-selected-for-kerala-media-academy-award-p6-briefly-with-his-pic/article22540044.ece |title= Nick Ut selected for Kerala Media Academy award p6 briefly with his pic |author= Staff Reporter |work= [[The Hindu]] |date= January 28, 2018 |access-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240320142403/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/nick-ut-selected-for-kerala-media-academy-award-p6-briefly-with-his-pic/article22540044.ece |url-status=live}}<br/>{{cite web|url= https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/nick-ut-the-main-attraction-of-the-photo-feast-118031100705_1.html |title= Nick Ut the main attraction of the Photo feast |author= Press Trust of India |work= [[Business Standard]] |date= March 11, 2018 |access-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240320142504/https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/nick-ut-the-main-attraction-of-the-photo-feast-118031100705_1.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row"| [[Leica Camera]] 
| align="center"| 2012
| Leica Hall of Fame
| {{won|Honored}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web|url= https://archives1.sundayobserver.lk/2023/09/03/montage/nick-ut%E2%80%99s-journey-through-lens |title= Nick Ut's journey through the lens |first= Dinuli |last= Francisco |work= [[Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka)|Sunday Observer]] |date= September 3, 2023
 |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319175317/https://archives1.sundayobserver.lk/2023/09/03/montage/nick-ut%E2%80%99s-journey-through-lens |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row"| [[Los Angeles Press Club]] 
| align="center"| 2016
| Joseph M. Quinn Award for Lifetime Achievement
| {{won|Honored}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/hollywood-reporter-tops-southern-california-897166/ |title= Hollywood Reporter Tops Southern California Journalism Awards With 35 Noms |author= THR Staff |work= [[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date= May 25, 2016 |access-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240320135844/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/hollywood-reporter-tops-southern-california-897166/ |url-status=live}}<br/>{{cite web|url= https://blog.ap.org/announcements/lifetime-achievement-award-for-photographer-nick-ut |title= Lifetime achievement award for photographer Nick Ut |first= Lauren |last= Easton |work= AP Definitive Source – [[Associated Press]] |date= June 27, 2016 |access-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240320124133/https://blog.ap.org/announcements/lifetime-achievement-award-for-photographer-nick-ut |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row"| [[Lucie Awards]] 
| align="center"| 2014
| Achievement in Photojournalism
| {{won|Honored}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.1854.photography/2014/10/lucie-foundation-2014-awards/ |title= Lucie Foundation unveils its 2014 honorees |first= Sarah |last= Allen |work= [[British Journal of Photography]] |date= October 15, 2014 |access-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240320143358/https://www.1854.photography/2014/10/lucie-foundation-2014-awards/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row"| [[Overseas Press Club]] 
| align="center"| 1972
| Best Photographs, Daily Newspaper or Wire Service
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref name=FI>{{cite web|url= https://www.forbesindia.com/article/recliner/i-took-the-picture-that-changed-the-war-nick-ut/51441/1 |title= I took the picture that changed the war: Nick Ut |first= Jasodhara |last= Banerjee |work= [[Forbes India]] |date= October 1, 2018 |access-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240320143826/https://www.forbesindia.com/article/recliner/i-took-the-picture-that-changed-the-war-nick-ut/51441/1 |url-status=live}}<br/>{{cite web|url= https://opcofamerica.org/opc-awards-contest-rules/archive-award/ |title= Awards Recipients |work= [[Overseas Press Club]] |access-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240320144002/https://opcofamerica.org/opc-awards-contest-rules/archive-award/ |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row"| [[Pulitzer Prize]] 
| align="center"| [[1973 Pulitzer Prize|1973]]
| [[Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Photography|Spot News Photography]]
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref name=NYT>{{cite web|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1973/05/08/archives/pulitzers-go-to-washington-post-frankel-championship-season.html |title= Pulitzers Go to Washington Post, Frankel, 'Championship Season' |first= John |last=  Corry |work= [[The New York Times]] |date= May 8, 1973 |access-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240320140540/https://www.nytimes.com/1973/05/08/archives/pulitzers-go-to-washington-post-frankel-championship-season.html |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
! scope="row"| [[World Press Photo]] 
| align="center"| 1973
| [[World Press Photo of the Year|Photo of the Year]]
| {{won}}
| align="center"| <ref name=WP>{{cite web|url= https://www.worldpressphoto.org/collection/photo-contest/1973/nick-ut/1 |title= 1973 Nick Ut |work= [[World Press Photo]] |access-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-date= March 20, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240320153812/https://www.worldpressphoto.org/collection/photo-contest/1973/nick-ut/1 |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|}

==Collections==
Ut's work is held in the following permanent collection:
*[[National Gallery of Art]], Washington, DC.<ref name="nga"/>

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |first= Hal |last= Buell |author-link= Hal Buell|date= March 16, 2021 |title= From Hell to Hollywood: The Incredible Journey of AP Photographer Nick Ut |publisher= [[Associated Press]] |location= [[New York (state)|New York]] |isbn= 978-0-9990359-9-3}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
{{Portal|United States|Biography|Journalism}}
* {{cite web|url= http://www.watermargin.com/vietret/vietret4.html |title= Nick Ut - A return to Saigon |work= WaterMargin.com |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319135757/http://www.watermargin.com/vietret/vietret4.html |url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|url= http://asap.ap.org/data/interactives/_news/nick_ut/index.html |title= AP Career Retrospective for Nick Ut |first= Chelsea J. |last= Carter |agency= [[Associated Press]] |date= 2005 |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 13, 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120313055624/http://asap.ap.org/data/interactives/_news/nick_ut/index.html |url-status=dead}}
* {{cite news|url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/06/02/nick-ut-vietnam-war-photo-kim-phuc/ |title= Opinion {{!}} A single photo can change the world. I know, because I took one that did. |author= Nick Ut |newspaper= [[The Washington Post]] |date= June 2, 2022 |access-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-date= March 19, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240319123742/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/06/02/nick-ut-vietnam-war-photo-kim-phuc/ |url-status=live}}

{{Vietnam War correspondents}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ut, Nick}}
[[Category:1951 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century American photographers]]
[[Category:20th-century Vietnamese artists]]
[[Category:21st-century American photographers]]
[[Category:Associated Press photographers]]
[[Category:People from Long An province]]
[[Category:Pulitzer Prize for Photography winners]]
[[Category:Vietnamese emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Vietnamese photographers]]
[[Category:Vietnam War photographers]]
[[Category:United States National Medal of Arts recipients]]