Photography Honorees Celebrated for Brave Reporting in Journalism by Females
The International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF) has recognised three exceptional photojournalists for their bravery and dedication in bringing underreported stories to light. The recipients of the 11th Annual Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award are Johanna-Maria Fritz, Adriana Loureiro Fernández, and Nicole Tung.
Johanna-Maria Fritz, a German photojournalist based in Turkey, has been honoured for her powerful portfolio, "Al Naw: The Last Hospital," which documents life and death inside one of Sudan's final functioning public hospitals in Omdurman. Fritz's images expose the resilience of those who endure and the immense cost borne by civilians caught in conflict. The conflict in Sudan has created information blackouts, with at least nine journalists killed since fighting erupted, and around 90 percent of the country's media infrastructure destroyed.
Fritz's assignment in Sudan was among the most painful of her career, yet she speaks of the people she met as the reason she continues. Fritz cites Niedringhaus as a guiding light in her career, having studied under her at university. Niedringhaus, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2014 while on assignment for the Associated Press, is remembered for her fearless and deeply human approach to war photography.
Adriana Loureiro Fernández, a Venezuelan photojournalist, was recognised for her series "Paradise Lost," which charts Venezuela's descent into turmoil. Loureiro Fernández's work has already earned significant recognition, including a World Press Photo Award and the Eugene Smith Grant in 2024.
Nicole Tung, a U.S. photojournalist now based in Turkey, was honoured for her submission which included work from Ukraine, Syria, Bangladesh, and Hong Kong. Tung is the 2025 recipient of the Philip Jones Griffiths Award and was recently a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News Photography as part of a New York Times team covering Ukraine.
The jury for the award this year consisted of leading editors and photographers including Corinne Dufka, Whitney Johnson Latorre, Brent Lewis, Enric Martí, Benjamin Snyder, Sandra Stevenson, and Bernadette Tuazon. Elisa Lees Munoz, the IWMF's executive director, emphasised why Fritz's work matters, stating it helps us not look away and better understand our world and its fragility.
The award honours extraordinary bravery and dedication in visual reporting. According to the jury, the act of witnessing, of fixing reality in an image, keeps memory alive. Each of these women extends Anja's legacy into the present, offering a full-frame testimony of our shared fragility and resilience in Sudan, Venezuela, Ukraine, Syria, and beyond.
Fritz's winning portfolio documents Al Naw, a hospital that became both a fragile shelter and a place of survival during a country's conflict. Doctors, nurses, and volunteers fought to save lives despite relentless shelling, dwindling supplies, and the looming threat of collapse. The IWMF's honoring of Johanna-Maria Fritz, Adriana Loureiro Fernández, and Nicole Tung reinforces the enduring legacy of Anja Niedringhaus.
