Men believed to be members of al Shabaab sit in the street after being arrested by Somali National Intelligence during a cordon and search operation in Mogadishu, Somalia, May 4, 2014.
Men believed to be members of al Shabaab sit in the street after being arrested by Somali National Intelligence during a cordon and search operation in Mogadishu, Somalia, May 4, 2014. Adriane Ohanesian
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Central Darfur, March 4, 2015: The Sudan Liberation Army led by Abdul Wahid (SLA-AW) climb towards the front lines in the last rebel-held territory in Central Darfur.

The International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) has announced Adriane Ohanesian as this year’s winner of the Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award. The award, now in its second year, recognizes work of women photojournalists who confront global conflict head on in order to educate the public with their images. Lynsey Addario and Paula Bronstein received honorable mentions for the award.

The award, which includes a $20,000 prize, was originally created with a grant from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, and named to pay tribute to Associated Press photographer Anja Niedringhaus, who was killed while photographing in Afghanistan in 2014. Neidringhaus had received the IWMF Courage in Journalism Award in 2005.

“We are proud to recognize this year’s Award honorees, who are a credit to their profession and to Anja’s legacy,” said IWMF Executive Director Elisa Lees Muñoz in a press release. “These remarkable and brave women are revealing difficult truths around the world through their pictures, and the Niedringhaus Award celebrates that service.”

Central Darfur, March 2, 2015: Women and children sit outside of a cave where they have fled to escape bombing by the Sudanese government’s forces inside rebel-held territory in Central Darfur.

The jury responsible for choosing a winner was made up of photo editors from The Associated Press, The New York Times, and VII Photo, and chose Ohanesian for her “evocative images and tenacious dedication to documenting the effects of conflict on citizens in perilous regions.” The jury continued, “her perceptive, compassionate eye offers an extraordinarily personal glimpse into places the global community may not otherwise see.”

Ohanesian is based in Nairobi, Kenya, and has been reporting from Africa since 2010, documenting pivotal subjects such as the civil war in South Sudan and the conflict in Darfur among many others.

Central Darfur, Sudan, March 2, 2015: Hundreds of women and children who have fled the fighting or are seeking shelter from the continued bombing by the Sudanese government’s forces, live in a cave. © Adriane Ohanesian

Ohanesian’s images allow the public to gain front row access to some of today’s most pressing global issues and hopefully serve to inform and empower people to strive for positive change.

“At the end of the day it’s not about me; it’s about the lives of the people in the pictures,” Ohanesian said of her work. “My photographs document what I’ve seen in isolated areas of the world. I hope the people I photograph feel that these photos communicate their circumstances to the outside world. It takes a massive amount of trust on the part of my subjects to know that I’m accurately representing them and their story.”

Central Darfur, Sudan, March 4, 2015: Members of the rebel group, the Sudan Liberation Army, led by Abdul Wahid (SLA-AW), defend a mountain from the Sudanese government forces in Central Darfur. Adriane Ohanesian
Central Darfur, Sudan, February 27, 2015: Adam Abdel, age 7, was badly burned when a bomb dropped on February 12, 2015 by a Sudanese government’s Antonov plane, landed next to his family’s home in Burgu, Central Darfur. © Adriane Ohanesian
Munuki West, South Sudan, January 19, 2014: SPLA government soldiers looted and burned civilian houses of people from the Nuer tribe, setting the stage for the current civil war in the Juba neighborhood. © Adriane Ohanesian
Mogadishu, Somalia, May 4, 2014: Men believed to be members of al Shabaab’s assassination and security group, Amniyat, sit in the street after being arrested by Somali National Intelligence during a cordon and search operation. © Adriane Ohanesian
Obock, Djibouti – January 13, 2016: A mother who fled the war in Yemen with her three children, comforts her baby who is sick and can not access medicine in the refugee camp. © Adriane Ohanesian
Obock, Djibouti, January 12, 2016: Ethiopian migrants waiting to be smuggled by boat to Yemen, and eventually find their way to Saudi Arabia in search of work, live under a tree outside of the town of Obock. © Adriane Ohanesian
Obock, Djibouti – January 12, 2016: A young Ethiopian girl walks towards a meeting with other migrants and their smugglers in the hope of making it onto one of the illegal boats that will bring her to Yemen and then on to Saudi Arabia. Alissa Everett
Marra Mountains of Darfur, Sudan, March 5, 2015: Adriane photographs the Sudan Liberation Army, the rebel group led by Abdul Wahid (SLA-AW). © Adriane Ohanesian
Abyei, between Sudan and South Sudan – October 2013: Adriane photographing during the referendum celebrations in the disputed territory of Abyei. © Adriane Ohanesian
Darfur, Sudan, March 5, 2015: Adriane rides a donkey that carried her through the Marra Mountains of rebel-controlled Darfur. © Adriane Ohanesian
South Kordofan, Sudan, April 24, 2012: Adriane photographs inside of a cave where civilians are living in order to seek shelter from the government’s continued bombing campaigns in the Nuba Mountains. © Adriane Ohanesian
South Kordofan, Sudan, April 25, 2012: Adriane photographs a house in the Nuba Mountains which is still burning after it was bombed by a Sudanese government’s fighter jet. © Adriane Ohanesian
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