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Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award 2026 - winners announced

THE WINNER OF THE MARILYN STAFFORD FOTOREPORTAGE AWARD 2026 is

Johanna Alarcón

FOR HER WORK

‘When the Earth Gives Birth’

When the Earth Gives Birth explores Indigenous maternal healthcare in Ecuador through the stories of midwives, apprentices, and patients from AMUPAKIN and Partera di Anaku, the first Indigenous midwifery schools and hospitals in the Amazon and Andes. In a country where Indigenous women face disproportionately high maternal mortality rates, limited access to healthcare, and widespread obstetric violence, these women-led initiatives have provided community-based maternal care for more than three decades.

Sunrise on the Napo River. More than 40% of this river is home to Amazonian indigenous communities such as Cofán, Siona-Secoya, Waorani, Zapara and Kichwas. Sixty-five percent of indigenous women in this region give birth at home, attended by midwives who are respected in their communities but have a complex integration with the state health system. Ecuador constitution recognizes and guarantees traditional health systems since 2008, but in daily practice, two worlds with very different cultures, experiences and perceptions confront each other between Western medicine and traditional midwifery. Tena, Ecuador. August 2022.
Olga Chungo and Ofelia Salazar, AMUPAKIN midwives, conduct a community prenatal check-up visit to pregnant women in the Kichwa Amazonian Sinchiwarmi community. Comprehensive intercultural maternal health care includes prenatal care, delivery, and postpartum. The check-ups performed by the mothers are visits to the women's homes, in the traditional midwifery hospital. The midwives apply natural oils, give massages and position the babies for birth. They also identify illnesses such as high blood pressure and anemia in the mothers and recommend treatment with the natural medicine that they provide. Visit communities is difficult for the midwives because of their limited resources for movilization and their advanced age. / Napo, Ecuador. August 2022.
Ofelia Salazar, midwife and Amazonian Kichwa woman leader of AMAPUKIN, poses for a portrait in the medicinal plant garden of the midwives' hospital. They grow the plants and care for their medicinal garden following the knowledge of their ancestors. Ofelia learned traditional medicine from her mother. Her challenge is to ensure the intergenerational transmission of her culture and knowledge by incorporating new generations / Archidona, Ecuador. August 2022.
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 Johanna Alarcón (1992) is an Ecuadorian independent visual storyteller and educator. Her practice is rooted in long-term collaborative processes that explore collective memory, spirituality, and the relationship between community and territory. Through photography and participatory storytelling, she examines the intersections of social justice, gender, identity, and belonging across Latin America and the Global South. Her work seeks to challenge stereotypes and the enduring effects of colonial structures, focusing on the experiences of women, Indigenous peoples, Afro-descendant communities, and incarcerated populations.

For more information about the Winner and Honourable Mentions please visit the FotoDocument news post here

The Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award, facilitated by FotoDocument and supported generously by Nikon UK, is granted annually to a professional female photographer towards the completion of a compelling and cohesive documentary photo essay, which addresses an important social, environmental, economic or cultural issue, whether local or global. The overall winner is awarded a grant of £4,000. All shortlisted applicants are featured on the FotoDocument website and will be publicised by both FotoDocument and Nikon UK. The Award is reserved solely to women documentary photographers, working on projects that are intended to make the world a better place and which may be unreported / under-reported. They should, in part, showcase positive solutions to any issues raised in order to contribute to constructive photojournalism, in line with the aims of FotoDocument and the wishes of Marilyn Stafford. Women from any stage of their careers are welcome to apply, whether emerging, mid-career or established. They must already have started the photo essay for which they are seeking funding and able to show work in progress. In addition, they must already have completed at least one other documentary photo essay to demonstrate track record. Entrants must be over 18, they may be any nationality and based anywhere in the world. It is free to submit.