Stephanie Sinclair Wins 3rd Annual Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award

Stephanie Sinclair Wins 3rd Annual Anja Niedringhaus

Courage in Photojournalism Award

Louisa Gouliamaki and Nicole Tung Receive Honorable Mentions

[AMSTERDAM, WORLD PRESS PHOTO FESTIVAL, APRIL 20, 2017]: — The International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) is pleased to announce Stephanie Sinclair as the winner of the 2017 Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award. The Award celebrates women photographers whose work demonstrates bravery, dedication and skill, while reporting the news through images. Now in its third year, the award was created through a generous grant from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation to pay tribute to the strength and dedication of Pulitzer Prize-winning Associated Press photographer Anja Niedringhaus, who was tragically killed while reporting in Afghanistan in 2014. Niedringhaus received the IWMF’s Courage in Journalism Award in 2005.

Louisa Gouliamaki and Nicole Tung are receiving honorable mentions for the 2017 award. All three women will be recognized at an awards event in Washington, DC on Thursday, June 8, 2017. The 2017 Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Awards is being presented in collaboration with Amsterdam-based World Press Photo Foundation, as part of an exciting partnership formed to support female photojournalists around the globe.

“We couldn’t be more proud to recognize Stephanie Sinclair, Louisa Gouliamaki and Nicole Tung. Each exemplifies courageous journalism in important and unique ways,” said the IWMF’s Executive Director Elisa Lees Muñoz. She added, “They are a credit to their profession and to Anja’s legacy, as they also bring to light humanity and resilience of spirit through imagery, while exposing and bringing us closer to the difficult realities they’re documenting.”

Sinclair is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist known for gaining unique access to the most sensitive gender and human rights issues around the world, who regularly publishes in esteemed outlets including National Geographic and The New York Times Magazine. Through her work, Sinclair portrays in a quiet and compelling way the lives of vulnerable girls subjected to practices such as child marriage, genital mutilation and acid attacks, with dignity, depth and empathy. Her ongoing 15-year series, “Too Young to Wed,” delves into how child marriage has altered the fate of tens of thousands of young girls, and she has founded a nonprofit in the same name. The Jury noted how her photos “touch your soul” and how “courage is not only defined on the front lines of war, but also displaying the emotional and intellectual courage required to continue to bear witness to scenes of despair with eloquence and compassion.”

“It is a tremendous, if bittersweet, honor to win an award in Anja’s name. I’ve long been a fan of IWMF’s mission and am humbled and proud that your jury would recognize my photojournalism in this way and be one of the women journalists supported and empowered by your organization,” said Sinclair about receiving this honor. She added, “Not only will this award support my continued work, but I am grateful for the awareness such a high profile honor will bring to the stories I shared in my application.”

Sinclair’s work received unanimous support from the award jury, which was comprised of leading photojournalists and photo editors from agencies including The Associated Press, TIME and World Press Photo Foundation. They praised Sinclair’s personal commitment to the subjects she explores, saying they hoped it would serve as a new model for the 21st century photojournalist. “It is testament to her deep sense of humanity and commitment to not only show the world community the brutality endured, but [to also] provide assistance, advocacy and solutions to give back to these communities of brave women willing to open their lives to her camera,” the jury statement noted. As with Award winners from previous years, Heidi Levine and Adriane Ohanesian, Sinclair will receive a $20,000 prize to support her ongoing work, made possible by the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.

Honorable Mention Louisa Gouliamaki, a Polish-Greek photographer based in Greece, was recognized for displaying masterful visual storytelling on both the European refugee crisis and the revolution in the Ukraine. The jury noted “Her work comprises immediacy and intensity during violent confrontations, and also moments of humanity and warmth.” Nicole Tung, who also received an Honorable Mention, was recognized for work that shows the devastating effects war has on civilians and the emotional trauma of conflict in places such as Syria, Iraq, Libya and Egypt. The jury noted, “Like Anja, Nicole provides balance and a moment of hope, giving viewers a breath away from the intensity of war…Her dedication and compassion will continue to shed light on the dark corners of our world, where people are mired in isolation and desperation.”

This year’s Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award event and reception will be hosted on June 8 at the German Embassy and residence by German Ambassador to the U.S. Peter Wittig and Mrs. Huberta von Voss-Wittig. The event program will feature leading international journalists, including Katty Kay.

Award photo submissions, awardee biographies, and more information is available at http://www.iwmf.org/.

About the IWMF

Since 1990, the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) has worked to unleash the potential of women journalists as champions of press freedom to transform the global news media. We seek to ensure that women journalists worldwide are fully supported, protected, recognized and rewarded for their vital contributions at all levels of the news media. As a result, consumers will increase their demand for news with a diversity of voices, stories and perspectives as a cornerstone of democracy and free expression. Through our programs and grants, we empower women journalists with the training, opportunities, and support to become leaders in the news industry.

______________

Media Contacts: Jennifer Hyman jhyman@iwmf.org +1-202-997-2454 – (Amsterdam)

Patricia Brooks patricia@matchmapmedia.com +1-202-351-1757 – (Washington, DC)