Noelle Flores Theard

Magnum Foundation was founded in the midst of a shifting media landscape to support and empower independent visual storytellers operating in a new paradigm, and we have continued to innovate, experiment, and refine our programs to meet new challenges. In the face of the current global crisis and economic upheaval, visual storytellers can provide a crucial perspective and elevate the experiences of the most vulnerable among us.

To that end, Magnum Foundation is proud to announce the 2020 Photography and Social Justice Fellows, nine photographers, artists, journalists, and activists who are passionate about challenging injustice, pursuing social equality, and advancing human rights through photography. 

Selected from 650 applicants, they join 48 other image-makers that have been trained through this program since 2010 to be effective storytellers, creative leaders, and changemakers. They are:

• Nolan Ryan Trowe, US
• Oscar Castillo, Venezuela
• Shaima Al-Tamimi, Yemen/Qatar
• Uma Bista, Nepal

Due to Covid-19, this year the Photography and Social Justice Program will be held remotely. We look forward to learning alongside these talented image-makers as we develop new frameworks for remote collaboration. We hope that this experience and the outcomes will be deeply constructive for our own capacity to continue supporting a globally dispersed network, as well as for the broader field.

In partnership with the City University of New York's Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, fellows will receive specialized training on new approaches to socially engaged documentary practice through an intensive online curriculum led by Fred Ritchin, Dean Emeritus of the International Center of Photography (ICP) School. They’ll also receive production grants as well as individual and group mentorship over several months from Magnum photographers Newsha Tavakolian and Sohrab Hura.