Yana Paskova is a Bulgaria-born, Chicago-bred, and New York City-based freelance photojournalist and writer. The spark that wakes her is her passion for pictures, words, music, climate change, science and technology, the economic and political state of the world, and genuine, interesting, passionate, kind people. Before receiving this year’s IWMF fellowship to Rwanda, she completed several personal projects sponsored by the Pulitzer Center (focusing on democracy and communism,) and has been a two-time American Photography winner. When not in New York, she lets her camera define her geography - from minutiae of life across the States, to long-term projects in Eastern Europe, Russia, and Asia. Her current and past clients include The New York Times, Washington Post, The New Yorker, National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, New York magazine, Sports Illustrated, Newsweek, TIME, Bloomberg, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, and Getty Images/AFP. An education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in reportage and multimedia allow her to add video, reporting and writing to her photography. Her ultimate motivation is to produce stories that combine unique aesthetics with a strong narrative - style with content - whether in a historic or a seemingly mundane moment. You could see more of her work on her website, www.yanapaskova.com, and her Instagram account, @yanapaskova or www.instagram.com/yanapaskova.