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For far too long, the history of photography has been filtered through a limited perspective, one that pushed women to the sidelines as muses rather than creators. In those earlier days, women were mostly seen as subjects, not as storytellers. Their creative voices were often undervalued, dismissed, or simply ignored. But women didn’t accept that role quietly. They grabbed the camera, took control of the narrative, and began sharing their own stories boldly and without apology.
Jump ahead to AAP Awards 2026, and everything looks different. The 55th edition of AAP Magazine shines a spotlight on the strength, resilience, and creative energy of women in photography. This year, 25 photographers are featured, including 24 remarkable women who are transforming what visual storytelling means today. Hailing from 12 countries across three continents, these artists span gritty street scenes, intimate portraits, and powerful documentary projects.
What really sets this collection apart is its diversity. Some photographs draw you into quiet, personal spaces, while others are bold, socially engaged, and demand your attention. Together, these images open up a global conversation about representation, identity, and empowerment.
These women are doing more than just taking pictures; they’re reclaiming their space, pushing boundaries, and changing the way we see the world. Frankly, it’s long overdue.
You can find more info about AAP Magazine:
#1. The Winner: “The Cut” by Silvia Alesssi, Italy
This image is part of The Cut, a long-term project exploring hair as a symbol of control, identity, and resistance. In Afghanistan, after the Taliban banned beauty salons, women continue working in secret. In Pakistan, the project enters a school for Afghan refugee women, where beauty practices become a fragile space of learning and self-definition. The image portrays a young Afghan girl who fled alone to Pakistan, without her family. It reflects both her fragility and her strength, holding together vulnerability and resilience within the same body. Through staged and documentary imagery, the work reveals the body as a contested space, where freedom is negotiated in silence.
2. Second Place Winner: “Boreal people” by Natalya Saprunova, France/Russia
Galina Lazareva, 80, a renowned Evenki craftswoman, lives in a wooden house in the village of Iyengra in Yakutia, Eastern Siberia. She takes care of her great-granddaughter alone. For the child, she sewed a vest made of reindeer skin, carefully decorated with traditional embroidery, – a way of passing on Evenki knowledge, craftsmanship and cultural identity to the younger generation.
3. Third Place Winner: “You Are My Mother” by Angelika Kollin, Estonia
In many African societies, women like Cynthia are the ones who hold everything together. The children, the grandchildren, the bits and pieces of daily life that would otherwise come loose. It is work that goes mostly unseen, rarely spoken of, and yet everyone depends on it. Cynthia is that kind of woman. A matriarch at the center of her family, with a quiet, calm presence that everyone feels safe around. Through her, family stays connected. Things hold.
Merit Award Gallery
4. “Colorful Burden” by Somenath Mukhopadhyay, India
This photograph is a part of my series that I attempted to debunk the apparently colorful world of women who are burdened with the stress of water round the clock. These staged photos are a part of a bigger and deeper narrative, representing their daily life, health, uphill challenges and wish for freedom.
5. “Hospital of Hope” by Ezio Gianni M, Italy
Carmelo Hospital, Chókwè, children’s ward. The anguished gaze of an HIV-positive mother looking anxiously at her HIVpositive child admitted to the pediatric ward because of relapse of AIDS The Project: Hospital of Hope: Fighting HIV/AIDS One by One – Synopsis In the late 1970s, as a 33-year-old doctor directing a 120-bed rural hospital in Chókwè, Mozambique, I was responsible for the health of about 300,000 people—an intense, isolating experience that stayed with me. Returning in 2019 and 2023 with a camera instead of a stethoscope, I revisited those places.
6. “Keepers of Faith: Women of the Romanian Villages” by Ron Cooper, United States
Nearly a century old and nearly blind, she continues to live alone in her small home in the Maramureș region of Romania. Her days follow rhythms unchanged for generations — cooking over a wood stove, tending to simple chores, and relying on the quiet kindness of neighbors and relatives. In this rural corner of Romania, community and tradition sustain those who have endured the longest.
7. “Urban Tales” by B Jane Levine, United States
This project is a series of candid portraits of strangers captured on the streets of New York City. I prefer to capture transitory scenes on the street without the knowledge of the subject so that the expression, gesture and/or movement are authentic. I go out with no expectations of subject matter other than looking for a moment, which elicits some emotion that I respond to with the subject, it is mainly driven by an internal signal that connects me to the subject or situation.
8. “Portraits of Immigrants in Los Angeles” by Aline Smithson, United States
Los Angeles is a city unlike any other. It is an expansive mosaic of cultures, languages, and traditions. Nearly nine million people call the City of Angels home, each culture adding its own rhythm, flavor, and sensibility to the vibrant whole. Growing up and living here has been a gift. On any given day, I am surrounded by faces and voices that reflect all corners of the globe. This diversity is not abstract to me; it has shaped my daily life, my friendships, and my creative practice.
9. “In the Garden” by Donna Gordon, United States
For the past two years, I’ve been working on In the Garden, a series of portraits of female-identifying individuals–each portrait with a landscape element–in attempt to explore alter-egos and personas. So far, I’ve photographed about fifty people throughout New England, and in Mexico, France, and the UK. My goal is to create a book.
10. “Chains of Madness” by Alain Schroeder, Belgium
Indonesia, Java Island, S., (48), is a patient from a mental heath center, she is walking around in the women section of the center, during heavy flooding, she likes cooking and working with friends.
11. “Aghori Mata” by Mandy Ross, United Kingdom
I spent a couple of hours with this aghori in a small temple in Varanasi.
12. “La Hytère” by Justin Roque, France
La Hytère is the name of my maternal grandparents’ house, Marie and Albert. It has been in our family for over 200 years and overlooks the Pyrenees mountain range. My great-grandparents were farmers there; one photograph in the series bears witness to this past, showing my great-grandfather Justin with my grandmother Marie by his side.
13. “Walking Through Havana” by Oscar González, Costa Rica
This photograph is part of a documentary project developed during a journey to Havana, Cuba, in April 2025, whose objective was to document the everyday challenges faced by Havana’s residents living and working in solares, shelters, and informal markets of second-hand goods in the streets of Centro Habana and Old Havana.
14. “Pink Dust” by Sebastian Sardi, Sweden
The kilns rise like silent fortresses across the plains of the Kathmandu Valley. Chimneys pierce the pale sky. The ground cracks under the sun. It is a landscape of dust and heat.
15. “Waiting” by Nina Nelson, United States
My Waiting series straddles the middle ground between a traditional portrait and a social story. It’s all about the conversation between interiors and exteriors—how the physical spaces we inhabit reflect the quiet, internal emotions we carry. By capturing these quiet, in-between moments, these images turn everyday moments into a deeper look at how we truly show up in the world. The series documents the gap where presence is felt most acutely, suggesting that our stories are often written in the moments of transition and pause.
16. “The Last Butterflies” by Valentina Sinis, Italy
Havals walk inside one of the caves. These women fight to dismantle the patriarchy, saying: “Before the rifle, fight yourself; before the war, fight in life.” They come from different lives but feel united. They all insist that love is not about becoming a man’s slave. In their daily routines, training, studying, preparing food, sharing tasks, the havals practice these principles, turning mundane life into a form of resistance.
17. “Grandma’s Jello” by Beth Stahn, United States
Grandma’s Jello shows a woman in jadeite green, gazing upward over a table of meticulously arranged retro gelatin dishes. The monochrome palette and uncanny styling turn nostalgic home life into something unsettling.
18. “Beauty, Dignity and Strength : Women of Mozambique” by Jelisa Peterson, United States
While exploring a beautiful rural area (Andilada) in the island of Nosy Be, Madagascar, I was struck by the true friendliness and hospitality of the people there. During a series of afternoons I spent in a particular village meeting people, I felt such a captivating connection with them.
19. “Pattern of Harm” by Mary Dondero, United States
Pattern of Harm is a series of digital photo montages combining my own photographs, sourced imagery, and graphic patterning. The layered images resist a fixed reading, bringing fragments into proximity while remaining partially obscured. Printed on Fuji metallic paper, the work traces how patterns persist just beyond immediate recognition.
20. “Self-Portrait” by Oksana Zhila, Russia
Each time I turn the camera toward myself, I return to the same question: can I truly reveal who I am? The act of self-portraiture becomes a struggle between the desire to be seen and the fear of revealing myself completely. Since migrating, I have been constantly confronted with another question: who am I? I felt as if my identity had been lost.
21. “The weight of presence” by Ingetje Tadros, Netherlands
A young Fulani girl stands adorned with a large traditional earring and a softly draped shawl. Her jewelry reflects heritage and identity, while her calm gaze carries both youth and quiet strength. Among the Fulani of Niger, adornment is more than beauty—it expresses lineage, pride, and cultural continuity across the Sahel.
22. “The real is fragment” by Leonor Benito de la Lastra, Spain
There is an intention toward error in my photographic work. In this way, the entire process of image-making constitutes an anomaly with respect to photographic orthodoxy. A submission to material alterations in order to displace photography from stable testimony toward a vulnerable materiality. The surface as a site of friction. The photograph as fragment: A glimpse.
23. “Portrait-a-Day” by Clark James Mishler, United States
I started my Portrait-a-Day project on January 1, 2010 and produced at least one unique portrait every day for the next twelve years. The first six years of my project were produced mostly in Alaska and the final six years were produced mostly in Northern California. The portrait of Kaitlyn and her daughter is typical of those I made during Alaska’s long, dark winters.
24. “Eyes on Title IX” by Cheryl Clegg, United States
Title IX, enacted as part of the Education Amendments of 1972, transformed opportunities for girls and women by requiring equal access to education and athletics. Before its passage, female athletes often faced limited participation, fewer resources, and unequal treatment. This portrait series explores the human impact of that change through close-up photographs of women and children of diverse races and ages who have benefited from Title IX.
FAQs:
What is the AAP Magazine Awards 2026 about?
The AAP Magazine Awards 2026 shines a spotlight on photography from around the world, with a special focus on stories of strength and resilience. This year, the awards put women photographers at center stage, giving voice to a range of perspectives and creative styles. Through their images, these artists share powerful stories that cross borders and cultures, making this a truly global celebration of visual storytelling.
Why is this edition focused on women photographers?
This year’s edition is dedicated to women photographers, aiming to balance the scales in a field where their contributions have often gone unrecognized. By celebrating their work and creative vision, the awards highlight the fresh stories and unique points of view that women are bringing to photography right now.
How many photographers were selected in this edition?
Twenty-five photographers were chosen for this edition, with 24 women taking home top honors in their categories. The winners come from 12 different countries across three continents, showcasing an exciting mix of backgrounds and artistic styles that reflect the truly international spirit of today’s photography scene.
What types of photography are featured in the awards?
A wide variety of photography is celebrated at the awards, from fine art and street photography to documentary and portrait work. Each category brings its own flavor, whether it’s capturing deeply personal moments or telling stories that spark conversation about the world we live in.
What makes these women photographers stand out?
What makes these women photographers stand out is their courage to break the mold, share honest stories, and push creative limits. Their photos speak to resilience, identity, and empowerment, offering new ways of seeing and understanding women’s experiences through the lens.
English (US) ·