2025 Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award

Recipients will receive a cash prize of $20,000 and have their work showcased during an award ceremony.

Overview

Anja Niedringhaus' approach to photojournalism was best said herself, “I do my job simply to report people’s courage with my camera and with my heart.”

The Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award was created to honor the life and work of Pulitzer Prize-winning AP photographer and IWMF Courage in Journalism Award winner Anja Niedringhaus (1965-2014), with a generous $1 million gift from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. With this Award, the IWMF celebrates the courageous work of women photojournalists like Anja who inspire us to take action and better understand the world. This courageous work manifests in many different forms which may include but is not limited to conflict or frontline reporting.

Practical Info

The award is open to women, nonbinary and gender nonconforming journalists. The candidate must be working as a journalist full-time, and journalism must be their primary profession. Both freelance journalists and those affiliated with media organizations are eligible. Submissions must include the candidate information, work samples made up of a series of 12 photographs, and a candidate/nomination statement. A candidate may either self-nominate or be nominated by an editor, mentor or journalist peer. If you are nominating someone else, you may submit a full application (including a statement and work samples). Applications are not accepted based on length of work or engagement in conflict areas.

The 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. Each photograph must be accompanied by a caption in English describing the date, place, and situation captured. Six of the photos must have been taken within the past two years (2022-2024). The other six can be taken at any time during the candidate’s career.

For Candidate/Nomination Statement submissions must include an up-to-500 words candidate/nomination statement written in English that answers all four questions below. Please do not include your name or contact information in the statement or the filename. Submissions without statements will not be considered.

All the following four questions must be answered in the candidate statement: 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?

Recipients of the Courage in Photojournalism Award will receive a cash prize of $20,000 and have their work showcased during an award ceremony.

About The International Women's Media Foundation

The International Women's Media Foundation is the only global organization built to serve the holistic needs of women and nonbinary journalists. It is a bold and inclusive organization that supports journalists where they are with awards, reporting opportunities, fellowships, grants, safety training and emergency aid. As one of the largest supporters of women-produced journalism, its transformative work strengthens equal opportunity and press freedom worldwide.