(Photo by Somaya Abdelrahman)
We are thrilled to present Egyptian photojournalist Somaya Abdelrahman as the inaugural winner of TYTW’s Emerging Photographers Fellowship Award. Somaya has been recognized for her work, “A Permanent wound”, exploring her own experiences surviving and witnessing female genital mutilation.
Born in Egypt in 1996, Abdelrahman faced grave adversity as a local journalist in her home country, eventually forcing her flight to Turkey. In 2019, she was mentored through the Arab Documentary Photography Program.
Somaya will receive a $5000 scholarship and a Canon mirrorless camera to continue her work on issues of gender based violence. In addition, Somaya will be mentored by TYTW Founder Stephanie Sinclair and photojournalist Tasneem Alsultan.
The TYTW Emerging Photographers Fellowship Program, with Canon USA serving as the program’s Presenting Sponsor, offers support to emerging photographers in countries with deep gender disparity, whose original reporting covers issues of gender based violence against women and girls. Through grant funding, granting of top-tier professional photography equipment, mentorship from respected industry leaders, and additional professional benefits, this highly selective program invests in new generation of visual storytellers. The fellowship aims to empower each grantee to hone their craft, nurture their prolificacy, and advance the global body of original documentation and thought leadership on ending violence against women and girls.
