Photo: David Hume Kennerly / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Nick Ut took one of the most consequential photographs of the twentieth century before he was old enough to fully grasp it, and then helped get the wounded girl, Kim Phuc, to a hospital. That detail matters to me: he was a witness who refused to stay only a witness. His Napalm Girl image cut through war propaganda in a way no headline could, and he carried it with grace for decades through his long Associated Press career. The National Medal of Arts felt overdue. A reminder that a single frame, taken by a steady hand, can change history.
Overview
Nick Ut, born Huynh Cong Ut on March 29, 1951, in Vietnam, is a Vietnamese-American photojournalist who spent his career with the Associated Press. He is best known for his 1972 photograph commonly called "The Terror of War," or "Napalm Girl," taken during the Vietnam War, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize. His honors also include the George Polk Award, World Press Photo of the Year, the Lucie Award, and the 2021 National Medal of Arts.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Nick Ut
- Name (Japanese)
- フィン・コン・ウト
- Reading
- ふぃん・こん・うと
- Born
- March 29, 1951 (age 75)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aries / Rabbit
- Origin
- Vietnam
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- Photographer / War photographer / Photojournalist / Journalist
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 1972 George Polk Award
- Pulitzer Prize for Photography
- 1973 Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography
- 1972 World Press Photo of the Year
- 2014 Lucie Award
- 2021 National Medal of Arts
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Photographer — see all → · More people from Vietnam →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.