Judges
Courtesy of
Sashenka Gutierrez
Ann Lesley BarTur Award
Sashenka Gutierrez
Highly Commended
Sáshenka Gutiérrez Valerio is a photojournalist born in Mexico. She started her career in 2007 at a national agency called Eikon. In 2008 she began working for the Cuartoscuro agency, and from 2010 to date, she is a Staff Photographer for the Spanish news agency EFE. Her work has been published in national and international media.
She is part of the group of photojournalists "Desde Nosotras" and has participated in various exhibitions.
Her work focuses on human rights, vulnerable groups, and social movements.
In 2021 she won 3rd place for photography at the Walter Reuter award.
In 2022 she won the Ortega y Gasset award in the photography category with her work Fuck You Cancer.
Her work was portrayed in HBO's new documentary "Endangered" which follows journalists from various countries in America.
Jódete Cáncer
Ciudad de México
2021
Sandra is a 36-year-old breast cancer survivor who lost her breasts to the disease, which was detected in early 2021.
After the diagnosis, the doctor explained to Sandra that a double mastectomy was necessary because although the cancer was only in the right breast if she kept the left breast, there was a 50 to 60 percent chance of the disease returning.
The doctors informed Sandra that her breasts could be reconstructed, but would require at least two operations in the next three years, and that procedure would have to be repeated at least every ten years to change the implants. Reconstruction is not an easy process, and many women have decided to live without breasts, as well as the physical, emotional, and social challenges that come with the decision.
Sandra entered surgery on July 5, 2021, decided not to reconstruct her breasts, and created "Jodete Cancer" where she supports women breast cancer survivors who go through some type of mastectomy and choose not to have breast reconstruction.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor in women worldwide. In Mexico, it is the leading cause of cancer death in women.
Globally, breast cancer had the highest incidence in 2020, surpassing lung cancer.
The WHO notes that in 2020, 2.3 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer worldwide, and 685,000 died.