• International Women's Media Foundation IWMF
• Deadline: February 25th, 2022
• Prize: $20,000
• Theme: Photojournalism
• Entry Fees: Free
• REGISTRATION:CLOSED, Click HERE For More Opportunities •
IWMF is the only NGO that offers safety training, reporting trips, and byline opportunities, all tailored to women journalists — both established and up-and-coming.
About the IWMF
The IWMF works to unleash the power of women journalists to transform the global news media. Our fellows and grantees — both freelance and staff journalists — become experts in reporting in underserved regions, generate must-read stories, align with top outlets, and bring critical issues affecting women and others to light. We are the only organization that provides safety training, byline opportunities, and emergency support tailored to women journalists and photographers around the world.
We also recognize fierce women journalists and photographers whose courage sets them apart. And we research the factors that allow journalism to remain dominated by men — while advocating for inclusive practices that help propel women and minorities into leadership.
The IWMF believes that gender does not conform to one notion. We are inclusive of all women, non-binary, and gender non-conforming journalists.
Our Mission
We unleash the potential of women journalists as champions of press freedom to transform the global news media.
Our Vision
Our vision is a world where consumers demand a diversity of voices, stories, and perspectives in news media and regard this as a cornerstone of democracy and free expression. We’re making progress — and hope you’ll join our growing community.
The Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award:
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 this Award, the IWMF celebrates the courageous work of women photojournalists like Anja. The Award recognizes the importance of visual journalistic work that inspires us to take action and compels us to better understand the world. Created in 2014 with a $1 million gift from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the Award will be given annually to a woman photojournalist whose work reflects courage and dedication, as Anja’s does. The Award winner will be publicly honored, have her work showcased, and receive a cash prize of $20,000.
The IWMF will accept applications and third-party nominations for the 2022 Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award until February 24, 2022. Submit your application here.
Eligibility Criteria:
The award is open to women, non-binary, 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.
Must not have won or been recognized as an honorable mention for the award in the past five years.
Nomination and Application Guidelines:
Sign up for a free Picter account to submit for consideration. We are proud to work with Picter as our photography contest platform for the Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award.
Each nomination and application must include 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 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, 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.
For Work Sample:
The required work samples are 12 photographs that best represent the scope and style of the candidate’s work, within the context of challenging reporting environments.
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.
Image size: minimum 1600px on the longest dimension (22.5 inches @ 72 dpi, JPG format)
Each photograph must be accompanied by a caption describing the date, place, and situation captured.
Six (6) of the photos must have been taken within the past two years (2020-2022). The other six can be taken at any time during the candidate’s career.
Limit one award submission per photographer.
For Candidate/Nomination Statement:
**Submissions must include an up-to-500 words candidate/nomination statement written in English. 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?
Additional Requirements for the Contest:
The photographer must be the author of the pictures submitted in her/their name.
The photographer, or the agent or representative entering on their behalf, must be the copyright holder or have been authorized by the copyright holder to submit the pictures.
The IWMF reserves the right to ask finalists or the winner for the RAW, or original camera files captured directly by the camera, to be submitted for review if the submission advances to final rounds of judging. Photographers must be open and transparent about the entire process through which their pictures are made and be accountable to the IWMF for their practice.
Photographs must not be manipulated in any way, except for basic color and contrast correction, along with minor lightness and darkness adjustments. Digitally enhanced or altered photographs, beyond the basics noted above, are unacceptable. The IWMF values authenticity and deceptive images will be disqualified.
Photographers must not intentionally alter the scene they picture by re-enacting or staging events and must ensure the editing provides an accurate and fair representation of the photograph’s context.
The photographer must not have paid their subject(s), either in goods or money, or promise of favor or influence.
Each photo submitted in a series of photographs must be accompanied by a caption that is complete and accurate, sufficient to convey the circumstances in which each photograph was taken, and include the date created and geographical location. Disguising or misrepresenting the origin of the content is cause for disqualification.
Each photograph must not, in the sole and unfettered discretion of the IWMF, contain objectionable or inappropriate content.
Watermarks are not accepted.
The IWMF’s Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award follows NPPA’s code of ethics.
If you are chosen as a winner or honoree, you agree to engage with the IWMF on communications activities including allowing fair use of the images in your portfolio.
For any inquiries related to the 2022 Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award, please contact Taylor Moore at tmoore[at]iwmf[dot]org.