The Emerging Lens Fellowship is AWP's signature program that provides unrestricted grants, production support, and professional mentorship for new and early career documentary photographers from across the globe. Through this program, AWP advocates for community-driven and underrepresented stories, with an aim to nurture a pipeline for emerging photojournalists, regardless of background, to reach a global audience. While global human rights and social justice concerns seem insurmountable, these stories, though personal, often traverse borders and understanding.
For our 2024 Call for Submissions, we invited emerging and early-career photographers to submit project proposals that build awareness through stories addressing climate change, pollution and environmental justice from within their communities. With increased funding made possible through the National Endowment for the Arts, we are thrilled to present to you our three fellows for 2024.
Natalia Favre (left) is an Argentinian documentary photographer and filmmaker based in Cuba and Argentina. Her work focuses on social issues through an intimate perspective at the intersection between community and identity. Her work has appeared internationally in media outlets such as Washington Post, National Geographic, Bloomberg, Reuters, The Telegraph Magazine, BBC, among others, and her films were shown in several international festivals in Cuba, Argentina, Brazil, Spain, Mexico and the US. Natalia holds a Bachelor in Design with a Diploma in Documentary Photography both from the University of Buenos Aires.
Natalia's project, "Maloneras, seeds of resistance," documents the resurgence of the historic indigenous movement "Malón de La Paz" (Raid for Peace), which first took place in 1946 in northern Argentina. Nearly eight decades later, driven by a new constitutional reform that threatens communities’ land rights, the Malón de La Paz reemerges with a particularity: women are now at the forefront. The project delves into the lives of these women as they follow the path of their ancestors' struggle, focusing on their relationship with the territory they inhabit and the challenges they face regarding land rights.
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Oyewole Lawal (center) is a photojournalist and sociologist based in Nigeria. Oyewole's artistic practice largely focuses on the examination of people and their relationship to the environment within African social groups. Oyewole believes it's important to record everyday life journeys, to fight for social issues, and to unearth the innate depths of the human mind, environment, and society. He uses art as his voice to provoke discussion on subjects that oftentimes go unnoticed yet hold great significance. Oyewole holds a degree in sociology from the University of Lagos and a professional certificate from the Nigeria Institute of Journalism (N.I.J).
Edwin Ndeke (right) is a self-taught photojournalist, and documentary photographer based in Nairobi, Kenya. Edwin's work focuses on socio-economic, cultural, political, and environmental issues, depicting a wider spectrum of life with the aim of addressing these issues within his community. He has a keen interest examining the everyday lives of people, building a deep understanding of the issues that affect people and their communities, and uses photography as a medium to raise awareness and bring about change.
Edwin and Oyewole will bring their projects together through a collaborative storytelling initiative to illuminate the value of the often-overlooked workforce of waste pickers, casting a spotlight on their vital role in recycling and waste management. Spanning across Nairobi and Lagos, the largest cities in West and East Africa, their respective projects, once combined, will aim to humanize the experience of waste picking. Through visual narratives centered around the lives of waste pickers, they seek to challenge discrimination, raise global awareness about the environmental impact of waste - most especially plastic waste - contributing to harmful methane emissions, and inspire a collective commitment to sustainable practices.
We look forward to sharing more with you as our 2024 fellows embark on their projects over the course of this year. Stay tuned!
