If your question is not answered below, please contact Taylor Moore at tmoore@iwmf.org.
Eligibility/Nominations
When are you accepting submissions for the 2023 award?
The application will open on January 17, 2023, and close on March 3, 2023, at 11:59 pm ET.
Where can I find the application guidelines for the award?
You can find the application guidelines here.
Do I need to be a conflict photographer to apply?
No. While many of our past awardees have reported from conflict zones, it is not a requirement of the award. Courage comes in many different forms and we try to reflect that in the award’s selection process. On this page, you can find the portfolios of our 2021 winner and honorable mentions, as well as outstanding individual images selected by the jury among our semi-finalists.
How do I nominate someone else?
A candidate may either self-nominate or be nominated by an editor, mentor or journalist peer.
If you are nominating someone else, you may either submit a full application (including a statement and work samples) or fill out an abbreviated nomination form via Google Forms. If you fill out the Google Form with the candidate’s information by February 24, 2023, we will contact them and tell them you have nominated them to apply for the award.
Please note that filling out the Google Form does not constitute or replace a full application in Picter, which must be submitted for the jury’s consideration.
Application Process
Should I submit images from the same project/story or from multiple?
It is up to you. The award has a recency rule — at least six of the 12 images must have been taken between 2021 and 2023 — but otherwise, you may select whichever images you want. You may include an optional project description within the application.
However, we do recommend that the submitted portfolio be well-considered and cohesive. In addition to the quality of images, think about the theme or narrative you want to convey with the selection of images. What story do you want to tell the jury about yourself — or someone else? This is where the candidate statement is helpful as well. Tell us the throughline of your work and your values as a journalist.
How many images do I include?
12—no more, no less. Each image must include a caption describing the date, location and situation captured. Six (6) of the photos must have been taken within the past two years (2021-2023). The other six can be taken at any time during the candidate’s career.
Please note that a submission cannot include videos, art photography, illustrations, images with watermarks, photo grids (multiple photos within one image), text overlaid onto or next to the photograph, and photographs not taken by the photographer. Submissions with these elements will not be considered.
You may include an optional project description within the application.
Do you have image quality and size requirements?
Image size: minimum 1500px on the longest dimension (72 dpi, JPG format)
What is the candidate statement?
Submissions must include an up-to-500 words candidate/nomination statement written in English. Please do not include your name or contact information in the statement or the filename. Submissions without statements will not be considered.
- What stories does the candidate tell through her photos?
- Under what conditions does the candidate work?
- How do the submitted photographs with this nomination capture the scope of the candidate’s work?
- How do the candidate’s career and work reflect the values of Anja Niedringhaus?
Selection Process
What does the jury look for in a candidate?
The jury looks at multiple attributes when evaluating candidates for the Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award, including but not limited to:
- Quality of photography
- Composition of portfolio
- Storytelling ability
- Conditions under which the journalist worked
- Candidate statement
- Reflection of Anja Niedringhaus’s values
How does the selection process work?
Once the deadline has passed, the IWMF and a third-party photography consultant will review all submissions for eligibility and evidence of enhancements, alterations and manipulations outside the scope of basic photo editing, and for any issues that could compromise the integrity of the award.
The jury will then review and score all eligible applications ahead of a virtual or in-person selection day, in which the jury will choose the top submissions to move forward in the process.
After selection day, the IWMF will contact the top candidates and ask for the raw image files so our consultant can review for any potential issues. During this process, the Friends & Family Committee — comprised of Anja Niedringhaus’s loved ones — will offer feedback to the jury.
The jury will then meet again to select the winner, who will be awarded the $20,000 cash prize, and select two honorable mentions at its discretion.
When will I hear back?
We will announce the winner and two honorable mentions publicly in May 2023.
Award
What does the winner receive?
One winner shall receive a $20,000 cash prize.
Who is Anja Niedringhaus?
Anja Niedringhaus was a Pulitzer-winning photojournalist and a cherished friend, colleague, sister and daughter. The first IWMF Courage in Journalism Award winner from Germany, Niedringhaus covered civil wars in Eastern Europe, photographed the aftermath of 9/11 and documented the human toll of conflict in Gaza Strip, Israel, Kuwait and Turkey.
She was born on October 12, 1965, in Hoexter, Germany. She died on April 4, 2014, when an Afghan policeman opened fire while she was sitting in a car with AP reporter Kathy Gannon in eastern Afghanistan.
You can read more about Anja Niedringhaus here.