RPS Documentary Photography Awards

Alisa Martynova is a photographer and artist based in Italy.

Winner of Canon Young Photographers, World Press Photo Portrait Series and LensCulture Emerging Talent awards, finalist of Aftermath grant, nominated for Leica Oskar Barnack Award, exhibited in Cortona on the Move, La Gacilly, Encontros da Imagem, Planches Contact festivals. She worked as an artist-in-residency for Tremplins Jeunes Talents, Villa Perochon and Culture Moves Europe with Hangar photo centre.

Refusing a direct approach to telling the story, she uses photography as a tool for translating reality into the language of symbols, that are extracted from existent stories, bridging the space between the viewer and the story.

@alisamartynova_

is a retired children’s social work director currently engaged in Doctoral Research at Northumbria University.

Morgan is one of a handful of Photographers to have been awarded Fellowships with both the Royal Photographic Society and British Institute of Professional Photography.

'No Safety Net' is part of Brian’s forthcoming book and follows his personal journey through the trauma of losing his identical twin brother, his own diagnosis of a life changing illness and the role played in his attempted recovery by unlikely befrienders, a small Travelling Circus with whom he subsequently journeyed.

Morgan’s creative vision - tied to his experience of emotional trauma and physical disability is forged in the belief:

'All of our lives are diminished by lack of inclusion; and in the power
of Art to bridge the gap between having and not having, between
knowing and not knowing.'

chasingshadows.photography.com

Byron Smith (b. 1986, USA) is an internationally recognized award-winning photographer whose work aims to capture the raw essence of conflict and migration, hoping to show these stories' echoing impact on the world. Smith has covered stories from conflict zones, including Iraq, Sudan, and Ukraine, to the shifting political landscapes of Northern Ireland, Kazakhstan, and at home in the United States.

Smith’s work has been exhibited in major cities in the US, such as New York City, Washington, D.C., and Chicago, and it extends internationally to the UK, Germany, Italy, Greece, Hungary, and Finland. His work is widely published in The New York Times and for CNN, The Wall Street Journal, Getty Images, Le Monde, The Sunday Times, The Guardian, Der Spiegel, and VICE Magazine.

Smith is currently a part of the VII Mentorship Program’s 2023-’24 cohort.

byronsmithphoto.com

Gerard is an award-winning documentary photographer, based in Paris, France.

A German native, born 1956 in Ulm, he studied photography at Kunsthochschule Kassel 1984 - 1987 and completed his studies with a BFA at College of higher education in Dortmund. He received the prestigious Otto Steinert Award 1991 for his work on Albania.

Saitner has worked for magazines and newspapers and published books on Guatemala, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. His work has been exhibited in Germany, Belgium, China, Greece, Japan, UK, USA.

Saitner has always been appreciated for his sensitive approach to his subject matter.
Since several years he is working on the project " How you look at things ".

Saitner is also a collector of art and photography.

@gerardsaitner

Julián Cabral (b. 2004, Argentina) is a documentary and press photographer based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Cabral focuses on long-term personal projects that attempt to explore the relationship between human beings and their environment. Cabral seeks to use photography as a tool for social transformation.

In his latest project “Lito”, Cabral documented the last year of his schizophrenic uncle’s life. Cabral’s work has received recognitions and Scholarships, such as the highly praised Ian Parry scholarship (2022) or first prize in student category at the Documentary Photography Awards (2023). He was nominated for the Leica Oskar Barnack Awards (2023).

@juliancabral__

Michael Knapstein is a fine-art and documentary photographer who has earned international recognition for his insightful and nuanced visual exploration of the American Midwest.

Knapstein lives in Middleton, Wisconsin with his artist wife, Annette. In addition to the RPS, Knapstein work has earned hundreds of national and international awards from some of the world’s most prestigious photography competitions.
He has been named International Photographer of the Year by the Prix de la Photographie Paris, the Barcelona Foto Biennale, the Pollux Awards and the Moscow International Foto Awards. To date, his photographs have been exhibited in 22 countries on five continents.

knapsteinphotography.com
@mknapstein

Ruth Toda-Nation’s photographic practice is informed by a nomadic childhood bridging two cultures, Japan and Britain.

Toda-Nation began photographing in Liverpool in the 1980s and later in rural northern Japan. Her intimate approach flows from a deep emotional connection with the people she photographs and interweaves themes navigating family dynamics and community bonds while reflecting on ageing, loneliness, transience, and departure. Ruth brings a unique perspective to her photography combining images with words drawn from interviews and conversations in order to give voice to people and communities.
Toda-Nation’s book ‘Our Lockdown Garden’, was published by The Mindful Editions in 2022.

@ruthtodanation

Sefa Eyol (b.1995, Mersin, Turkey) is a freelance documentary photographer, based in Istanbul, Turkey.

Eyol work focuses on long-term photo essays, deals with social issues and geographical, physical and spiritual isolation issues – he is interested in human beings’ relationship to themselves and the environment.

Eyol is currently studying Photojournalism at Danish School of Media and Journalism, and he holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Shanghai Lixin University of Accounting and Finance.

Since April 2022, Eyol has been documenting ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

sefaeyol.com
@eyolsefa

Tamsyn Warde has a degree in psychology and a background in Adolescent Mental Health Nursing.

Warde began photographing street scenes in her community in 2019 and became interested in environmental portraiture. Her recent photographic projects centre on the experiences of youth in the UK. She has recently graduated from Falmouth University with a master’s degree in photography with a distinction.

Warde’s past successes include Portrait of Humanity Winner 2022, Portrait of Britain Winner 2022 and winner in the Royal Photographic Society’s 2023 Documentary Awards. Warde’s most recent project On These Magic Shores is currently touring with the RPS and is featured in The Guardian

On These Magic Shores: exploring spaces for children’s play

tamsynwarde.com
@tamsyn_warde