In its eighth year, the IWMF’s Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award recognizes women photojournalists who exhibit extraordinary courage and humanity in reporting from areas of instability, oppression, and conflict. The award was created in honor of German Associated Press photojournalist Anja Niedringhaus, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2014. This year’s winner is veteran freelance photographer Paula Bronstein; Afghan journalist Farzana Wahidy and U.S. journalist Carol Guzy are also honored.
Link:
2022 Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Awards
Zahra, born and raised in Srinagar, has documented the ongoing conflict in Indian-controlled Kashmir for four years. Her images illustrate the violent confrontations between Kashmiri protesters and Indian security forces and their subsequent toll on the community. She is one of a small number of women photojournalists working in the area.
“I hope this honor will encourage me to perfect my skills and do my work more confidently,” Zahra said in remarks shared by IWMF. “I also expect it to inspire other women photographers who are working in difficult environments. This is an honor to all women who choose to work in conflict zones.”
The award jury, which included representatives from The Associated Press and Human Rights Watch and other photojournalists, noted that Masrat’s “portfolio touches us with its humanity.”
“Her work is intensely feeling,” they continued, “and she consistently puts herself before extreme danger to bring us the stories of her communities, especially those of women.”
Photojournalists Laurel Chor, who documented protests in Hong Kong, and Nahira Montcourt, who covered civil unrest in Puerto Rico, received honorable mentions.
Niedringhaus, who received the IWMF Courage in Journalism Award in 2005, was shot and killed by an Afghan policeman in April 2014.
In April 2014, Associated Press photographer Anja Niedringhaus was killed by a police officer in Afghanistan’s Khost province. And for the past four years, Niedringhaus’s dedication and legacy — one that includes a Pulitzer Prize for photography — lives on through the Courage in Photojournalism Award, organized by the International Women’s Media Foundation and named after her.
This year, the award, which comes with a $20,000 cash prize, went to Andrea Bruce, a former Washington Post staff photographer. “I looked up to Anja,” Bruce told In Sight ahead of Thursday’s announcement. “She was courageous and smart, but also grounded and kind. She cared. As one of the few women covering conflict, she showed me how it can be done.”
“Now, receiving this award, I hope I can continue to encourage other photographers, especially women, to stay in this profession with Anja’s sense of purpose,” she added.
Bruce’s work focuses on the people living in the aftermath of war, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan. “Andrea was selected for her empathy, her emotional connection with subjects, and for the dignity that shines through in her portfolio, which also includes images from Syria, Russia, Bahrain, India and Haiti,” the IWMF said in a statement. Juror Eman Mohammed added that Bruce “was always inspiring others within the field to step up and inspiring young female photographers.”
Bruce was chosen from among 136 nominations, the highest number since the program began. Photographers Amber Bracken and Rebecca Conway received honorable mentions.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - This year's recipient of an award
named for an Associated Press photographer killed in Afghanistan is a
photojournalist who captures the quiet dignity of women and girls who
have endured cruel practices such as child marriage, genital
mutilation and acid attacks.
New York-based freelance photographer Stephanie Sinclair will
accept the Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award on
Thursday in Washington.
"Courage is not only defined by facing risk on the front lines of
war but also displaying emotional and intellectual courage required
to continue to bear witness to scenes of despair with eloquence and
compassion," the panel of industry judges gathered by the
International Women's Media Foundation wrote, adding that Sinclair
received their unanimous support.
The annual award, first given in 2015, goes to a female
photographer whose life and work honor Niedringhaus' legacy. It was
established by the International Women's Media Foundation and
includes a $20,000 prize, funded by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.
Niedringhaus was part of an AP team that won the 2005 Pulitzer
Prize for breaking news photography for coverage of the Iraq War. A
native of Germany, she was killed on assignment in 2014 when an
Afghan police commander walked up to the car she was in and opened
fire.
Honorable mentions in this year's contest went to Louisa
Gouliamaki, an Athens-based photojournalist and a permanent stringer
for AFP who documented European refugees and Kiev's deadliest day
during the 2014 Ukrainian revolution; and Nicole Tung, an
Istanbul-based photojournalist who submitted work from Syria and
Iraq.
Sinclair, a 44-year-old Miami native who attended the University
of Florida and interned at the then-St. Petersburg Times, is best
known for her series "Too Young to Wed," which examines forced child
marriage around the world.
"In my experience, girls in developing countries, the world's
poorest areas, really have the least amount of rights and protection.
They're the most vulnerable in the world," she said. "It's our
responsibility to take care of those who don't have the same amount
of support. We don't get to control where we're born. If they
succeed, we all succeed."
Her photos are stunning and often difficult to view, with images
of women disfigured from attempting suicide by self-immolation or the
tears of a girl forced into painful female genital mutilation.
"We are drawn into the lives of three Nigerian girls, their faces
softly illuminated in an otherwise dark room. The motion of the
Afghan girl writhing in pain from self immolation, fearing her
husband's reaction to a simple broken TV, portrays her shifting
reality and portends the labyrinth of pain she will endure for the
rest of her life. The photo of a girl clutching a wall during
childbirth transports us directly into the clinic room," wrote the
jury.
Sinclair said that this isn't a case of her parachuting in to
cover a story, only to move on to the next topic. She began
documenting issues of women and girls in Afghanistan in 2003. And
later, she started her own nonprofit, Too Young to Wed. The
organization aims to amplify the frequently overlooked voices of
girls and women around the world - often using photography. This
summer, Sinclair will host a workshop for child marriage survivors to
tell their stories through photography and portraiture.
"With this topic, with girls rights, I just feel like I'm on the
right side of history here," she said. "I'm honored to be accepted
into these communities to tell the story that they want the world to
know. I'm blessed to be able to share these stories, and awards like
this help amplify it. Each time I'm interviewed, all of these
photographs are shared, and the girls' voices are heard."
Fürsprecherin von Frauen erhält Preis für Mut im Fotojournalismus
St. Petersburg (AP) - Die US-Fotojournalistin Stephanie Sinclair
erhält in diesem Jahr den nach der in Afghanistan getöteten deutschen
AP-Fotografin Anja Niedringhaus benannten Preis für Mut im
Fotojournalismus. Die in New York lebende Sinclair hat sich in ihrer
Arbeit des Schicksals von Frauen angenommen, die unter grausamen
Praktiken wie Kinderehen, Genitalverstümmelung und Säureangriffen
leiden.
Der Preis wurde 2015 erstmals verliehen. Er geht jeweils an eine
Fotografin, deren Leben und Arbeit das Vermächtnis Niedringhaus'
hochhält. Die 44-jährige Sinclair, eine freie Fotografin, wollte den
Preis am Donnerstag in Washington entgegennehmen. Zu ihren
bekanntesten Arbeiten zählt die Serie «Zu jung zum Heiraten» über
erzwungene Kinderehen weltweit.
Niedringhaus wurde im April 2014 während eines Einsatzes getötet, als
ein afghanischer Polizeikommandeur das Feuer auf das Auto eröffnete,
in dem sie mit einer Kollegin saß.
Washington (dpa) - Die US-Journalistin Stephanie Sinclair, die seit Jahren mit ihrer Kamera den Blick auf junge weibliche Gewaltopfer in aller Welt lenkt, ist am Donnerstag in Washington mit dem Anja-Niedringhaus-Preis geehrt worden. Die Internationale Stiftung für Frauen in den Medien würdigt damit Fotojournalistinnen, die sich bei ihrer Arbeit durch besonderen Mut auszeichnen.
Der Preis wird seit 2015 verliehen, zu Ehren der deutschen Fotografin Anja Niedringhaus. Die Pulitzer-Preis-Trägerin hatte für die Nachrichtenagentur AP aus verschiedenen Kriegsgebieten berichtet und wurde 2014 in Afghanistan erschossen.
Die freiberufliche Journalistin Sinclair (44) reist seit 15 Jahren um die Welt, um das Leid von jungen Frauen und Mädchen zu dokumentieren, die Opfer von Gewalt, genitaler Verstümmelung oder Zwangsheirat geworden sind. Berühmt ist insbesondere eine Fotoserie mit dem Titel «Zu jung zum Heiraten», die aufzeigt, wie das Leben junger Mädchen durch die erzwungenen Ehen zerstört wird.
[September 15, 2025 – WASHINGTON, DC] – This morning the International Women’s Media Foundation announced Johanna Maria Fritz as the 2025 recipient of the IWMF Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award, which recognizes extraordinary bravery and dedication while reporting. Fritz’s winning portfolio captures life inside a Sudanese hospital amid one of the most severe humanitarian catastrophes in modern history. The Anja Award was created in 2014 to honor the life and work of Pulitzer Prize-winning German AP photographer Anja Niedringhaus, who was killed while reporting with the Associated Press in Afghanistan.
Fritz’s winning portfolio – “Al Naw: The Last Hospital” – depicts the deeply underreported story of civilians suffering from war-related violence inside one of the country’s last functioning public hospitals, located in Omdurman. On the brink of destruction, Al Naw is both a shelter and lifeline, where doctors and volunteers work under harrowing conditions to increase patients’ odds of survival. According to UNESCO, at least nine journalists have been killed in Sudan since this current conflict began and roughly 90 percent of the country’s media infrastructure has been destroyed, displacing close to 1,000 journalists and creating information blackouts.
Palestinian Journalist Samar Abu Elouf Wins IWMF 2024 Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award
(c) photo: Samar Abu Elouf / text: IWMF
Winning portfolio captured in Gaza during October and November 2023
[April 4, 2024 – WASHINGTON, DC] – The International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) today announced freelance photojournalist Samar Abu Elouf as the 10th annual recipient of its Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award. The global recognition honors women photojournalists who document humanity amid conflict as well as the challenges facing marginalized populations worldwide. This year’s award is being issued on April 4, 2024, the 10th anniversary of German photojournalist Anja Niedringhaus’s passing; Niedringhaus was killed while on assignment in Afghanistan with the Associated Press.
Abu Elouf’s winning portfolio – and the bulk of her photojournalism – features reporting on war and its effect on women and children. Previously based in Gaza City, Abu Elouf puts herself at the center of danger to chronicle how conflict, loss, and need affect people in her own community. Late last year, Abu Elouf was forced to evacuate her home after it was partially destroyed. Her winning portfolio, ‘Gaza Under Attack,’ includes a series of 12 images commissioned by and featured in The New York Times.
“There are no more extreme conditions than what Samar endured to bring us these images from Gaza – a warzone that marks the deadliest period for journalists in modern history,” said Elisa Lees Muñoz, Executive Director of the IWMF. “Samar was separated from her children, her relatives were killed, and she slept in cars and on floors to keep reporting. Battling a lung infection and surviving on one meal a day, all to bring us the truth, Samar is the epitome of dedication, professionalism and courage.”
Link: 2024 Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award
In its ninth year, the IWMF’s Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award recognizes women photojournalists who exhibit extraordinary courage and humanity in reporting from areas of instability, oppression, and conflict. The award was created in honor of German Associated Press photojournalist Anja Niedringhaus, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2014. This year’s winner is freelance photojournalist Laurence Geai; Korean American photojournalist Yunghi Kim and French photojournalist Veronique de Viguerie are also honored.
Link:
2023 Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Awards
