2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

Cultural / Context information for the jury

When the Lebanese government failed to find solutions to the looming economic crisis, stagnant economy and unemployment, the country was plunged into the 6th revolution in its history. However, in a country where women don’t have equal rights and face massive underrepresentation in the government, women for the very first first time, took the lead and turned it into the first ever peaceful revolution. This show of strength helped ensure a whopping 400% increase in female representation in the new cabinet. However, while this bold act of defiance and leadership was lauded by most of Lebanon, there were many who trivialized their actions, and criticized women openly and online, for staying out late, not knowing what they were doing, and even talking too much. An-Nahar, Lebanon’s leading newspaper wanted to show its support for these woman and inject new life into the movement.

Translation. Provide a full English translation of any text.

The communication was released under the ‘Naharouki’ banner, which means ‘your day’, when read by a woman, and was derived by making a minor tweak in the newspaper’s name ‘An Nahar’.

Tell the jury about the photography. Do not name the photographer.

The photograph was taken in the midst of the revolution. The people in the photograph were not models, and were not posing. The situation was not staged, but captured in the heat of the moment, with real people, and with emotions running high. The photography successfully captures the real and raw grit of the women of Lebanon, unfiltered and unapologetically so.