ELIGIBILITY:

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.

Sign up for a free Picter account to submit for consideration. They are proud to work with Picter as their 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 by March 31, 2026, 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.

Image size: minimum 1500 px on the longest dimension (72 dpi, JPG format)

Each photograph must be accompanied by a caption in English describing the date, place, and situation captured.

Six (6) of the photos must have been taken within the past two years (2024-2026). The other six can be taken at any time during the candidate’s career.

Submissions must include a candidate/nomination statement of up to 500 words 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.

BENEFIT:

The award winner will be publicly honored, have her work showcased, and receive a cash prize of $20,000.