Thanassis Stavrakis
Thanassis Stavrakis was born in Stockholm in 1973 and studied photography in Athens before beginning his professional career in 1992. From the outset, he combined local reporting with international assignments, quickly developing a reputation for precision and narrative clarity. His early years were spent working with Greek photo agencies before moving into staff roles with newspapers and magazines, gaining experience across news, sport and documentary photography.
Since 2000, Stavrakis has worked with the Associated Press in Athens. In 2014, he was appointed Chief Photographer for Greece, Cyprus, Albania and North Macedonia.
Stavrakis’s professional history includes work for Ethnos newspaper from 1997 to 1999 and freelance projects for Epsilon magazine and Tachydromos magazine. He began contributing to the Associated Press in 2000 and has since led coverage of defining national and international events. These include the Athens civil unrest, the Greek financial crisis, the refugee crisis, devastating wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic. He has also photographed numerous Olympic Games, FIFA World Cups and European championships, producing images that reached audiences worldwide through AP’s network.
As Chief Photographer for AP since 2014, Stavrakis not only documents but also coordinates coverage across four countries, setting the standard for visual reporting in south-eastern Europe. Parallel to this role, he continues to shape Athens Photo World as Artistic Director, curating exhibitions, talks and international awards that celebrate excellence in photojournalism and connect Greek audiences with the global photography community.
Alongside his editorial career, Stavrakis has maintained a long commitment to education. Between 2017 and 2022, he led workshops in street photography for the Municipality of Chalandri in Athens. From 2018 to 2020, he taught news photography at ANT1 Media Lab, and between 2023 and 2025, he conducted further photojournalism workshops. His teaching combines practical guidance with insights from decades of frontline reporting, encouraging students to approach photography as both an artistic and journalistic practice.
His photographic work has also been exhibited in solo and collective shows. The project “Amateurs,” a black and white series on amateur football, won first prize in Sports Photography from the Hellenic Sports Press Association and earned recognition in the FUJIFILM Euro Press Photo Awards in 1999. Through Athens Photo World, he has overseen large-scale outdoor displays, themed exhibitions on the environment and collaborative projects with prominent cultural institutions. The Athens Photo World Awards further reinforce his commitment to recognising and supporting excellence in international photojournalism.
Stavrakis has photographed in more than fifty countries, covering political, social, environmental and sporting events for global audiences. His images, distributed by the Associated Press, have shaped international understanding of some of the most pressing issues of recent decades. Through his dual roles as AP Chief Photographer and Artistic Director of Athens Photo World, he remains a key figure in advancing both the practice and the public appreciation of photojournalism.
The founder and artistic director of Athens Photo World, has been working professionally as a photojournalist since August 1992.
1992–1997: Collaborated with various Greek photo agencies
1997–1999: Staff photojournalist for Ethnos newspaper. Reported on major local and international events
Freelance & Magazine Work
1999–2001: Freelanced for Epsilon, weekly magazine of Kyriakatiki Eleftherotypia
2007–2010: Contributor to Tachydromos, magazine of Ta Nea newspaper
2000: Began collaboration with the Associated Press (AP) in Athens
2008–Present: Lead coverage of major Greek events: Athens civil unrest, Greek financial crisis, Refugee crisis, Wildfires, COVID-19 pandemic and many assignments in Greece and abroad
June 2014: Appointed Chief Photographer for AP oversees coverage in Greece, Cyprus, Albania, and North Macedonia
Educational Contributions
2017–2022: Leads Street Photography workshops for the Municipality of Chalandri in northern Athens.
2018–2020: Taught News Photography at ANT1 Media Lab.
2023–2025: Conducted Photojournalism workshops