Announcing the 2023 Inge Morath Award

Shirin Abedi

Magnum Foundation, Magnum Photos, and the Inge Morath Estate are pleased to announce Shirin Abedi as the recipient of this year’s Inge Morath Award. Abedi will receive a $7,500 production grant to support the completion of her long-term documentary project, May I Have This Dance? This year’s finalist, Mihaela Aroyo, will receive a $1,000 grant in support of her project.

Shirin Abedi is a freelance photojournalist and documentary photographer. Born in Iran, raised in Germany, and living between both worlds, Abedi focuses her work on emancipation, pain, shame, and love. She is a proud member of the Fotobus Society, Women Photograph, Diversify Photo, and the Female Photoclub. She is a jury member of the German Youth Photo Award and has started teaching workshops to make photography more inclusive.

Shirin Abedi

Abedi’s project follows five female dancers in Iran, where dance has been banned in public since 1979, and where Iranian women continue to dance and peacefully resist their patriarchal-fundamental society through their mere existence.

Abedi’s project was selected from a pool of 62 applications by the membership of Magnum Photos. Given each year to a woman or nonbinary photographer under the age of 30, the award honors the legacy of their colleague, Inge Morath.

On receiving the award, Abedi shared: “It is an honor for me to receive this grant, especially this year. Inge Morath was a pioneer and a role model for many women. For me, this is a sign to believe in myself and acknowledge that I can be a progressive woman for my society, too…This is the first year in my life that I have financial freedom to tell the stories that matter to me, in a way that seems right to me.”

Mihaela Aroyo

This year’s finalist, Mihaela Aroyo, is being recognized for her project Root, which explores identity in the Bulgarian diaspora living in the historical region of Bessarabia within Moldova and Ukraine. While focusing on the community's traditions and daily life, the project also reveals the multi-layered cultural and historical context of the area.

Aroyo is a freelance documentary photographer. In her work she explores themes such as cultural identity, history, folklore, environment and personal stories. Aroyo holds a Bachelor's degree in Photography from New Bulgarian University and is currently enrolled in a Master’s program in History. She is a scholarship recipient for the VII Masterclass in Arles 2022/2023, and has had her work published in The New Yorker, National Geographic and Die Zeit.

Mihaela Aroyo

On being named a finalist, Aroyo shared: “It is a real honor to be the finalist of the Inge Morath award and I am grateful for the recognition my project receives through this prestigious award. I see this as a further motivation to continue my visual exploration of Bessarabia and embark on another journey that will allow me to document and share more thorough stories from the people of the diaspora.”

Congratulations to these two outstanding photographers!