The Esperanza Pertusa Foundation has announced the winning and recognized projects of the Fourth Edition of the Esperanza Pertusa International Photography Award. The event took place at the Cátedra Mayor of the Ateneo de Madrid and featured speeches by Maria Antonia García de la Vega, from the Ateneo de Madrid; Esperanza Navarro Pertusa, trustee of the Foundation; Gertrud Gómez, curator; Ana Palacios, member of the jury for the 4th edition of the Award; and Claude Bussac, also a member of the jury for the 4th edition.

The jury, composed of Isabel Muñoz, Claude Bussac, and Ana Palacios, selected three works from over 320 artists who participated in the competition. Additionally, due to the high quality of the submitted projects, the jury made a special mention of seven outstanding photographs.

In this fourth edition of the Award, a total of 323 artists participated, with 64% being international artists and 29% of the participants being women.

The awarded projects include prominent names in photography from both the national and international artistic scene.

First Prize

El Deseo – Alejandro Carmona

This project explores the desire of bodies that exist on the margins, on the fringes. Bodies that are discarded by societal norms for being non-productive and denied pleasure.

Caryna is a sexual assistant for people with disabilities who lives and works in Argentina. In her own words, she creates spaces of pleasure and enjoyment, allowing each person who hires her to explore their own desires. Walking down the street embraced, going out for coffee, giving each other massages, taking a bath, reading erotic poetry, discovering areas of their bodies that haven’t been explored, kissing, touching, deciding. In the images, Caryna navigates these spaces alongside Gonzalo, Ivan, and Pablo, people with functional diversity. The outside world questions them. In their intimacy, they discover their own bodies.

They describe it like this:

«I held onto desire and made it my priority. Since I don’t live alone, I had to express it at home and organize schedules to have an encounter in the right conditions. The pursuit of fulfilling that desire set me in motion, made me engage with my body. It also allowed me to reconcile with my own body, which became a source of pleasure—eroticized, observed, desired, and empowered—no longer a suffering, obsolete, castrated body or an obstacle. Now it can also provide pleasure. Sex is an extraordinary experience that, at the same time, makes me ordinary, just like everyone else. It places me among the common people who enjoy what an eroticized body offers. This stage is about not rationing pleasures. My body is experiencing a transformation; I am rediscovering it and giving new meaning not only to mine but also to others’ bodies, which are no longer distant, idealized, or imagined; they are now close, tangible, and in constant dialogue.»

Alejandro Carmona is a documentary and performing arts photographer, trained at the Andy Goldstein School of Creative Photography. His work focuses on capturing the essence of independent dance and theater companies, and he has collaborated with prestigious institutions such as the National Folkloric Ballet and the Contemporary Ballet of the Teatro San Martín.

His work has gained international recognition, being a finalist with a special mention at the Alicia Alonso International Dance Competition (Cuba). He has also showcased his work in collective exhibitions, including the FIF of Santa Marta (Colombia), the Documentary Photography Biennial of Tucumán (Argentina), and as a finalist for the AAMEC Contemporary Photography Award at the Caraffa Museum in Córdoba (Argentina).

 

 

 

 

Runner-up Award

Guardianes de los Glaciares – Angela Ponce

Ice constitutes the second largest source of freshwater on the planet. Seventy percent of tropical glaciers are found in Peru. Located in Cusco, at more than 5,000 meters above sea level, is the Quelccaya Ice Cap, which until recently held the title of the largest tropical glacier in the world. This glacier recedes 60 meters per year, and studies have determined that it will disappear in the next 30 years if global greenhouse gas emissions are not reduced.

On the slopes of this giant lives a Quechua shepherding community consisting of approximately 130 «ayllus» (families in Quechua), present in the area for generations. They now struggle to maintain their traditional way of life and preserve their ancestral customs.

«With this water, we irrigate our corn and potato crops. When there are no more snowfalls, life will end,» says Exaltación Chuquichampi, born in the Sallani community, who used to walk and play in the snow that reached his house as a child. «Now, there’s little snowfall. What will we do when the snow is gone? There will only be a black mountain,» adds Yovana (29), another community member.

Their main economic activity is the breeding of camelids, from which they obtain leather, wool, and fiber for making clothing, crafts, or other items. Given the soil, climate, and altitude, agriculture is not very viable, and the fields are dominated by tough grasses that serve as food for the animals.

Despite the fact that the Quelccaya glacier is the most important source of water for the entire region, including the Machu Picchu hydroelectric plant, the people living near it do not have basic services like water and electricity. Living in this area is becoming increasingly difficult due to the lack of rainfall and the glacier’s rapid retreat.

 

Ángela Ponce is a documentary photographer and photojournalist specializing in social issues within the Latin American context. Her work focuses on the narratives of Peruvian indigenous communities, as well as on topics related to climate change, extractivism, and armed conflicts. She regularly collaborates with renowned media outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Reuters. Her photographs have also been featured in publications like Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg, BBC, Die Zeit, The Guardian, NPR, and El País, among others.

 

 

 

 

Runner-up Award

The Right to Play – Lee-Ann Olwage

Every day, girls face barriers to accessing education due to poverty, cultural norms and practices, poor infrastructure, and violence. The Right to Play project creates a powerful narrative that highlights the challenges faced by millions of girls around the world in their pursuit of education. The project raises the question: What do girls dream of? And what happens when a supportive environment is created where girls are empowered and given the opportunity to learn and dream? What does that world look like?

The result is a poignant exploration of the dreams and aspirations of young girls, challenging societal expectations that limit their potential. By creating a playful world where girls are not confined by poverty, cultural norms, or violence, the project offers a vivid portrayal of the possibilities that arise when girls are given the opportunity to learn and dream freely.

The Right to Play merges storytelling with an imagined, playful world where girls are represented in an empowered and affirming way, flourishing as the heroines of their own stories and overcoming numerous barriers to obtaining an education.

The project addresses crucial issues such as education, health, and leadership, offering a vision of a world where African women and girls are valued and respected as leaders in all aspects. It serves as a catalyst for change, challenging us to envision a future where every girl has the right to play, learn, and dream without constraints, with the potential to make a lasting impact on the conversation surrounding girls’ education, particularly in Africa.

For this project, the author worked with schoolgirls from Kakenya’s Dream in Enoosan, southwestern Kenya, who have avoided female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriage. Kakenya’s Dream is a nonprofit organization that leverages education to empower girls, end harmful traditional practices such as FGM and child marriage, and transform rural communities in Kenya. They offer a comprehensive, girl-centered approach to addressing gender inequality, achieving girls’ empowerment, and uplifting vulnerable rural communities.

 

Lee-Ann Olwage is a visual storyteller from South Africa who uses collaborative storytelling to explore themes related to gender and identity.

She is interested in using photography as a medium for co-creation and celebration. Through her long-term projects, she aims to create a space where the people she collaborates with can actively participate in the creation of images that they feel affirmatively and celebratorily tell their stories.

 

 

 

 

Special Mentions

Cholitrans. Soledad de Género – Antonio López Díaz

The project tells the story of Joannna Lizzeth Gonza, a transgender woman from the Aymara ethnic group, raised in a small Andean town in Bolivia, who enjoys dressing and living traditionally, according to the customs of her ancestors.

 

Sáhara, juventud en marcha – Cristian Sarmiento

This photographic work addresses the situation of young Sahrawis in refugee camps, who, after more than 40 years in exile, face the uncertainties of youth in a changing context. Despite social and economic difficulties, they have begun to forge their own identity and take a leading role in key issues such as the feminist struggle.

 

El librero viajero – Djellouli Boumediene

This work tells the story of Moussa, a 79-year-old traveling bookseller in Oran, Algeria. After having worked in various professions, he ended up selling books from his broken-down car.

 

289 Street-ESTAMOS AQUÍ – Francesco Pinton

With this project, the author aims to capture the gestures, emotions, glances, and attitudes that reveal the moods of ordinary people, those who walk the streets day by day.

 

Entre el mar de plástico – María Clauss

This project addresses the situation of migrant women living in precarious settlements in the province of Huelva, Spain—a problem that began in the 1990s and has worsened over time.

 

Plastic hell – Mohammad Shahriar Foisal

Plastic Hell examines the contradiction between the promise of plastic recycling as an environmental savior and the harsh reality faced by those working in this sector. The author highlights the ethical dilemma of environmental sustainability versus human suffering.

 

Living in concrete – Seyed Mahabubul Kader

This project examines the dire situation of the homeless in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where basic human rights such as food, housing, healthcare, and education become unattainable luxuries for many.