© Ivor Prickett

Slavica and Nebojsa feed their son Nikola in what used to be the living room and bedroom of their tiny two roomed cottage. The dilapidated building was rebuilt by Nebojsa and his brother over the course of the following winter and the young family now inhabit a much warmer and secure home.

By Nicole Russo

Ivor Prickett, a 23-year-old former photojournalism student at Newport University in Wales, was recently named this year’s Ian Parry Scholarship winner. Prickett’s portfolio tells the story of Serbian Croats returning to Croatia after an ethnic cleansing movement developed from the division of Yugoslavia. The Coats were forced from their homes and into Serbia after the loss of the Croatian War of Independence (1991-1995.) His photos illustrate the striking hope and strength of Serbian Croats determined to rebuild their lives.

“Winning was surreal,” Prickett says. “I was obsessed with the award ever since I knew about it, but I never thought I was actually capable of receiving it.”

The award commemorates Ian Parry, a 24-year-old photojournalist who died during the Romanian Revolution while on assignment for the Sunday Times. Each year young photographers from around the world participate in the scholarship competition, which includes £2500 toward a chosen assignment and continued support form the Sunday Times Magazine. Submissions to the scholarship required work from the photographer’s portfolio along with brief synopsis of the project he or she would undertake after winning.

Prickett first became interested in Croatians while photographing in Kosovo during his third year at Newport. “I think they must have thought I was Balkan,” laughs Prickett, whose first name Ivor seems to have helped him assimilate. “I clicked well with most people, and I found myself very at ease. It completely influenced the photos I was able to take.”

© Ivor Prickett

Nada Beader plays with her Niece's daughter Gorana. Gorana's mother Volga returned to her partially destroyed flat in Knin town centre in 2001. With the help of the OSCE she secured state funded reconstruction and now lives there with Gorana and her mother.

Prickett’s work was funded by the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) and the UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees), after he graduated Newport. “They covered the cost because they knew it would help publicize the issue,” he explains. Not everyone may be so lucky, he admits, but still he advises working constantly, and creating a project right after graduating. “A big downfall is to stop making work because of the pressure to make money,” he says “Persevere and do things you are interested in. Think about who you want to work for and what competitions you want to win.”

After shooting in Croatia, Prickett returned to Wales and worked for a while before moving to London. “I shouldn’t have put off moving,” he reflects, “because I missed out on opportunities. It’s very important to put yourself in the right place.” It was not until Prickett moved to London that he began shooting for magazines like Telegraph, and gaining more editorial experience.

Prickett’s next move will be to return to Serbia and make a journey back with a returning refugee. “I tried photographing returning people,” he says, “but it doesn’t really work unless I meet them in Serbia and get to know them first.”

Eventually, he hopes his work may someday help make a difference for the struggling Serbian Croats. “It’s a forgotten story, so not many people really care about it anymore,” he says. “This will make it available for use in humanitarian campaigns to form a public awareness.”

© Ivor Prickett

Neboisa and Slavica Eremic at their home in Croatia. Slavica an ethnic Croat married Serbian Nebojsa two years ago. Nebojsa had fled to Serbia in 1995 only to return two years later and find his family home inhabited by a Bosnian refugee. He now lives in what used to be his grandmothers cottage with Slavica and their baby son Nikola.