Alon Reininger was born in 1947 in Tel Aviv, Israel, and began his career covering the 1973 Yom Kippur War for UPI. One of the founding members of Contact Press Images in 1976, he has followed unrest and change in the wake of decolonialization in southern Africa, including the anti-Apartheid struggle in South Africa, conflict in the Middle East (1976-80), and civil war in Central America (1979-83). He has also extensively covered the modernization of China (1985-89). Perhaps best known for his pioneering work on AIDS, which he began in 1980 when the disease was still largely unknown, he has received numerous honors including the World Press Photo Premier Award in 1986, the UN World Health Organization “All for Health, Health for All" award in 1987, and the Kodak Crystal Eagle Award in 1990 for Impact in Photojournalism. Working out of California during the nineties, he focused primarily on social issues in the US, particularly those concerning disparities of race and gender, such as immigration, crime and education. He is based in Los Angeles.