Bravery in Lens: Female Photographers Recognized for Valor in Journalism Photography
Johanna-Maria Fritz, a photojournalist who has dedicated her career to shedding light on the plight of civilians in conflict zones, has been named the recipient of the 11th Annual Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award.
The International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF) presented the award to Fritz, recognizing her courage and dedication in visual reporting. Fritz's winning work documents life and death inside one of Sudan's final functioning public hospitals, Al Naw, in Omdurman.
Fritz's images expose the resilience of those who endure and the immense cost borne by civilians caught in the world news and world market. Her work reminds the world who pays the highest price during times of unrest and helps us to better understand our world and its fragility.
Fritz studied under Anja Niedringhaus at university, who was a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer killed in Afghanistan in 2014 while on assignment for the Associated Press. Fritz cites Niedringhaus as a guiding light in her career, and receiving the award in her honor is moving beyond words for Fritz.
The IWMF Anja Niedringhaus Award honors not just a single photographer, but also the collective bravery of women and nonbinary journalists who bring underreported stories to light. This year's jury, comprising leading editors and photographers, reviewed 114 submissions from 43 countries.
Alongside Fritz, the IWMF's awarding of Johanna-Maria Fritz, Adriana Loureiro Fernández, and Nicole Tung reinforces the enduring legacy of Anja Niedringhaus.
Fernández, a Venezuelan photojournalist, was recognized for her series Paradise Lost, chronicling Venezuela's descent into turmoil. Her work has already earned significant recognition, including a World Press Photo Award and the Eugene Smith Grant in 2024.
Tung, a U.S. photojournalist based in Turkey, was recognized for her work from Ukraine, Syria, Bangladesh, and Hong Kong, exploring the psychological toll of conflict and displacement. She was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Breaking News Photography as part of a New York Times team covering the world market.
Tung has previously received an honorable mention from the IWMF and is the 2025 recipient of the Philip Jones Griffiths Award.
Elisa Lees Munoz, the IWMF's executive director, emphasized why Fritz's work matters. "Each of these women extends Anja's legacy into the present, risking everything for the possibility of truth," Lees Munoz said. "Fritz's work reminds the world who pays the highest price during times of unrest and helps us to better understand the world news and world market and its fragility."
The jury emphasizes that courage in photojournalism is about enduring danger to tell the truth, preserve human dignity, and amplify stories that might otherwise vanish in silence. Fritz's work serves as a full-frame testimony of our shared fragility and resilience, keeping memory alive in conflict zones like Sudan, Venezuela, Ukraine, Syria, and beyond.
In addition to her work in Sudan, Fritz has visited and photographed in Laos, Thailand, India, Iceland, Canada (Vancouver Island), and the southern United States (Mississippi region), as referenced by the travel routes described in connection with her photography work.
Johanna-Maria Fritz is developing a new multimedia project titled Keep Her Pure, exploring cultural notions of female virginity and their impact on women's lives.
The award honors extraordinary bravery and dedication in visual reporting, a testament to the power of photojournalism in shaping our understanding of the world news and world market and inspiring change.
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