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The 2021 Stanley Greene Legacy Prize & Fellowship Shortlist

Introducing the 2021 Stanley Greene Legacy Prize and Fellowship Shortlist: Biayna Mahari, Tako Robakidze and Mouneb Taim.

From left to right: Biayna Mahari, Tako Robakidze and Mouneb Taim.

From left to right: Biayna Mahari, Tako Robakidze and Mouneb Taim.

NOOR, a lens-based cultural institution, and the NOOR Foundation, a non-profit committed to social change through documentary practice, supports the craft and professional aspirations of underrepresented photojournalists whose creative work echoes the commitment and passion with which Stanley approached photography. The 2021 shortlisted candidates for the Stanley Greene Legacy Prize and Fellowship are Biayna Mahari, Tako Robakidze and Mouneb Taim.

“In my opinion, the three shortlisted photographers each represent the courageous dedication that the Stanley Greene Legacy Prize and Fellowship embodies,” says jury member Thomas Dworzak. “Biayna Mahari, an emerging photographer, presented a very intimate, and at times quirky, poetic expression of a well-covered conflict in her own country. Tako Robakidze, on the other hand, concentrated relentlessly on documenting an easily forgotten conflict with an unending commitment. And, Mouneb Taim, a very young photographer, recorded his country's disintegration.”

This iteration of the fellowship focused on applicants based in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Biayna Mahari, positioned between her native country of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, draws on traditional photojournalism and metaphorical photography to investigate the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh and how it intersects with personal identity both in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh; Tako Robakidze, based in Tbilisi, Georgia, explores the impact of Russia’s borderization process on Georgians; and Mouneb Taim, born in Syria and established in Turkey, focused on the Syrian conflict and the humanitarian crisis that ensued.


The 2021 Shortlisted Photographers

Biayna Mahari

Broken TV in a house where refugees from Hadrut currently live. From the project Diary of a non-war photographer. Photo © Biayna Mahari.

Broken TV in a house where refugees from Hadrut currently live. From the project Diary of a non-war photographer. Photo © Biayna Mahari.

Project: Diary of a non-war photographer investigates the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh and how it intersects with personal identity both in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. “On September 27, 2020,” Biayna Mahari writes, “I woke up to a war. I was living my life––planning to meet my friends or maybe read a book, I no longer remember––when all of a sudden, with a single news announcement, I appeared in a conflict zone.”

Since that day, there has been little semblance of the life that existed before. In an effort to understand this new reality, Biayna looked away from the frontline of the conflict, and focused on the intimate details that were shared by others, civilians, who were experiencing the same seismic upheaval. Biayna says: “It’s me standing in the yard watching Arthur burn his own house down in the village’s last hour, and me saying goodbye to the Dadivank monastery before it will be given away, and me drinking beer in the only pub in Stepanakert, talking about the war with the owner, while he cleans his gun.” 

“It's me, but it is not about me. It’s about Armenians trying to survive through grief and loss, about those who took their weapons and went to protect their land, those who didn’t, those who came back home and who didn’t, about life and death, love and hate and, finally, it’s about all of us — humans, who create the wars, suffer from them, and then create them again.”

Biography: Biayna Mahari was born in Yerevan, Armenia in 1989. She began freelancing as a photographer and journalist in 2009, while still a student at the Russian-Armenian University, covering cultural events and festivals, and photographing and interviewing artists like Serj Tankyan and Joe Cocker for local magazines. She has since produced projects on the country's 2018 Velvet Revolution, "La vita è bella," about being trapped in Italy during the Covid19 lockdown, and "Rethinking Quarantine," a set of portraits and interviews made through skype calls with those trapped with her in the same building for a mandatory quarantine. She has produced work for many local NGOs, as well as international organizations such as Unicef, FAO, and the UNDP. Her work has appeared in many local magazines, and in Nouvelle d'Armenie and Liberation in France and La Republica in Italy. In 2020 she was awarded a director fellowship to attend the Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism program at the International Center of Photography in New York.

Tako Robakidze

Marina was a school teacher in the village Kemerti, which is now an occupied territory. After the war in 2008, she and her family settled in an IDP settlement in the village Shavshvebi. Even though people who lived in the Tskhinvali region were in constant war for 20 years, and shootings were part of their everyday life, they still never imagined leaving their houses. Shavshvebi IDP Settlement, Georgia. 2017. From the project Creeping Borders. Photo © Tako Robakidze.

Marina was a school teacher in the village Kemerti, which is now an occupied territory. After the war in 2008, she and her family settled in an IDP settlement in the village Shavshvebi. Even though people who lived in the Tskhinvali region were in constant war for 20 years, and shootings were part of their everyday life, they still never imagined leaving their houses. Shavshvebi IDP Settlement, Georgia. 2017. From the project Creeping Borders. Photo © Tako Robakidze.

Project: "For some people in my country, it is not difficult anymore to imagine going to sleep in their own country and waking up in an occupied territory." –– Tako Robakidze.

Creeping Borders shows how the Russian occupation affects peoples' daily lives in the villages along the so-called "border" and IDPs who have suffered along the way. 

In the 1990s, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russian-backed separatists in the Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region started a war to claim independence from Georgia. Up to 300,000 Georgians were displaced. These figures have only increased since the so-called "Five Day War" between Russia and Georgia in 2008, and up to 20% of Georgian territory is now under Russian occupation. Since 2011 Russian armed forces have pursued the policy of so-called "borderization," the installation of artificial barriers along the occupation line. 

As the topic of Russian occupation and the shifting of de-facto borders moves deeper, more territories gather behind the barbed-wire fences, leaving the local community without land, harvest, and even residents' own houses. It divides families and communities, preventing people-to-people contact; moreover, kidnapping residents for "illegal border crossing" by Russian FSB has become almost a common practice. Since the start of the "borderization," more than 1000 people have been detained. Families across the occupation line have to deal with violations of human rights on a daily basis. 

"Creeping Borders" was produced with the support of the Magnum Foundation as part of the Photography and Social Justice Fellowship. This body of work was exhibited at the 2018 Tbilisi Photo Festival.

Biography: Tako Robakidze is a documentary photographer based in Tbilisi, Georgia. In 2008 she got a Bachelor's degree in Law at Tbilisi State University. In conjunction with her university studies, she was enrolled in the documentary photography 'Sepia' and continued her studies for 5 years. In 2015, she received her master's degree from Caucasus University's Graduate School of Journalism. Since 2010 she has worked as a freelance photographer, cooperating with Georgian and international NGOs, covering diverse social topics. 

Since 2015, she has been a member and co-founder of the documentary photo collective ERROR IMAGES. In 2017 she received the Magnum Foundation Photography and Social Justice Fellowship. In 2020 she was the recipient of the Tbilisi Photography & Multimedia Museum Multimedia Lab Production Grant. In 2020 for her work about Georgian IDPs, she got a production grant from Goethe Institute. Her work is focused on documenting socio-political and economic conditions in Georgia and aspects of daily life, especially in regions of the country and minority groups of society.

Mouneb Taim

An aerial view of a drone showing the terrible destruction in the city of Jobar, on the outskirts of the Syrian capital, Damascus. From the project Idlib - the last rebel stronghold. Photo © Mouneb Taim.

An aerial view of a drone showing the terrible destruction in the city of Jobar, on the outskirts of the Syrian capital, Damascus. From the project Idlib - the last rebel stronghold. Photo © Mouneb Taim.

Project: After more than ten years of conflict, the Syrian regime's forces regained more than ninety percent of areas out of their control. The city of Idlib, in northern Syria, was the opposition forces' last remaining outpost, a place now embedded in the conflict and the promise of defeating the rebel forces for the final time. 

Idlib - the last rebel stronghold, illustrates the struggle of civilians to bypass the war in the besieged region in northern Syria. The lives of residents are markedly different from others: there are airstrikes and bombings between government forces and the rebellion every day. There is an unnaturalness to each day, even though the conflict has taken on some semblance of normalcy to those living there: it is common to see bombs fall, watch people die, and hear the destruction of buildings.

While the truth of this war cannot be denied–– there are no winners or losers––some people are trying to resist the bitterness of this terrible war with their determination, hope, and desire to live. With the support of the Russian forces, the people in Idlib were forced to leave the area after months of violent bombing operations that caused the deaths of thousands. 

Today, more than four million Syrians live in a minimal area. They are effectively human shields, threatened with death from both sides by the militant forces that control the site, the so-called Al-Nusra Front, and the Syrian government, who plan to regain that area. 

Biography: Mouneb Taim, born in 2001, is a photojournalist who covers news stories focusing on social issues. Currently working as a freelance photographer for international agencies, he began his career in photojournalism in 2014 following the murder of his brother, a journalist in Syria. While in his native country, he covered life under siege in Douma, Eastern Ghouta, Idlib, and the countryside of Aleppo until early 2020 when Islamic organizations arrested him in his city for being gay. Mouneb has received several international awards for his work.


2021 Prize and Fellowship Jury

NOOR acknowledges this year’s Fellowship judges, which included a panel of experts in the visual storytelling field.

  • Tanya Lokshina, associate director for Human Rights Watch's Europe and Central Asia division.

  • Thomas Dworzak, photographer and Magnum Photos Member.

  • Marie Sumalla, deputy head of Le Monde photo department.

  • Andrei Polikanov, visual director of Takie Dela online media.

  • Nestan Nijaradze, co-founder and Artistic Director of Tbilisi Photo Festival.

  • Raisa Borshchigova, senior program officer at Urgent Action Fund.

  • Frank Zuidweg, Nikon Professional Services at Nikon Europe (Amsterdam).

  • Jean-François Camp, president of DUREV Events.

Learn more about the 2021 Fellowship jury.

NOOR additionally extends a special thanks to Nikon. The Stanley Greene Legacy Prize & Fellowship is made possible by Nikon’s sustained support.


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Photographers Sanne De Wilde and Bénédicte Kurzen publish their book: Land of Ibeji

Sanne De Wilde and Bénédicte Kurzen / NOOR

Sanne De Wilde and Bénédicte Kurzen / NOOR

Discover all about the Land of Ibeji


Sanne De Wilde and Bénédicte Kurzen investigate the mythology of twins in Nigeria where the rate of natural twin births is higher than anywhere else in the world. As sacred beings, twins’ magical and spiritual powers are celebrated with mythical fervour, but also condemned as unnatural.It was a path he never would have taken, because he never could have imagined it. 

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‘Land of Ibeji’ is a collaborative photographic project about the mythology of twinhood in Nigeria“Ibeji” meaning 'double birth' and ‘the inseparable two’ in Yoruba stands for the ultimate harmony between two people. The centre of this twin zone is Igbo-Ora, a sleepy southwest town in Nigeria. Through a visual narrative and an aesthetic language that is meant to reflect and empower the Yoruba culture that celebrates twins, the two photographers extend their gaze beyond appearance - with symmetry and resemblance as tools- to open the eyes to the twin as a mythological figure and a powerful metaphor: for the duality within a human being and the duality we experience in the world that surrounds us.

They played with the concept of doubling to create an imaginative photographic story, using double exposures, mirror reflections and colour filters. Through these pictorial processes, the two artists produced inventive double portraits, while also working together as twin-like co-authors. Land of Ibeji is the magical, colourful result.

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About the book

Now for sale in the NOOR Shop!

Next to the regular signed book there is also a limited edition that includes a signed print. There are only 44 of them available!


Order now and receive your book in August 2021

Signed book for €59  excl. VAT and shipping costs

Signed book + signed Fine Art Baryta print (only 44 units available) for €248 excl. VAT and shipping costs

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Photographer Pep Bonet publishes his photobook: Hellbangers

Discover all about Botswana’s underground metal culture


Photographer Pep Bonet has been following Overthrust, a heavy metal band from Botswana, Africa, and shows us a growing, exciting and thoroughly organic heavy metal community. Ten years ago, one group existed. Today there are more than ten – and their fans are growing every year.

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Hellbangers is an affirmation that at its core shows the strength and power of the metal community in Africa, and how it connects around the world. The love and devotion to the music that these wonderful maniacs show scream out to us with absolute conviction – we are all united by the essence of the metal heart and spirit of the Hellbangers!”

— Rob Halford (Judas Priest)

The inhabitants of Botswana portrayed in this book are tattood, wear loudly and proudly leather jackets, leather trousers and play heavy death metal music. Imagine the DIY ingenuity of their ‘costume creation’ involving harvested animal skulls and other natural elements.

With names like Demon and Gunsmoke, it would be easy though to think they are thugs, but “We try to be exemples. Rock is a wild thing, but also something for the heart”, says Gunsmoke, the heavy metal head. Here too, the lyrics of the songs are very critical towards societies, just like their western peers. Metal in Botswana is rebellious movement against authorities. This is the story of what looks at first to be an unlikely union, yet one which powerfully illustrates how music, how heavy metal music, has become a positively unifying force in an unlikely part of the world.


About the book

Now for sale in the NOOR Shop!

PRE-SALE OFFER WHEN YOU ORDER BEFORE JULY 31ST 2021:

Signed book + original photograph (numbered, signed and stamped) for €199 + VAT and shipping costs

Only 50 units available

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The second Stanley Greene Legacy Prize & Fellowship now accepting submissions

Stanley Greene / NOOR

Stanley Greene / NOOR

NOOR & the NOOR Foundation are extremely proud to announce the second Stanley Greene Legacy Prize & Fellowship. The Fellowship will support the work and professional aspirations of underrepresented photojournalists who create work that echoes the passion with which Stanley approached photography.

This chapter of the fellowship prize will focus on applicants based in the following countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

Find more information about the Fellowship and Submission deadlines here

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The 2021 Nikon-NOOR masterclasses

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The 2021 Nikon-NOOR masterclasses are finished. Participants from around the world worked together with NOOR authors Andrea Bruce, Pep Bonet, Heba Khamis, Jon LowensteinSanne De Wilde, Kadir van Lohuizen, Olga Kravets and Tanya Habjouqa to share experiences, work on portfolios, improve editing skills, and learn how to create visual stories.

Discover the names of the Nikon-NOOR Academy participants!

Andrea Bruce on assignment for Ipondr

Andrea Bruce / NOOR

Andrea Bruce / NOOR

Andrea Bruce went on assignment for iPondr. She captured Brant Ireland, who broke his leg severely in 2013 while on an operation in Afghanistan. His leg got amputated in 2015 and since then he is using a high-tech prosthetic limb. Ireland saw adaptive sports as a chance to get out of his comfort zone and try new things.

Read the article here!

Watch Olga Kravets' films for the Martin Ennals Awards

© Julie de Halleux / Olga Kravets

© Julie de Halleux / Olga Kravets

NOOR Filmmaker Olga Kravets, in collaboration with Pierre-Julien Fieux, Julie de Halleux, Anaïs Chic and Irene Servillo, directed three short animation films to present the three nominees of 2021 Martin Ennals Awards Ceremony that took place on February 11th. The three nominees of this year were Yu Wensheng - Laureate (China), Soltan Achilova (Turkmenistan) and Loujain AlHathloul (Saudi Arabia).

We are also proud to announce that Soltan Achilova's short film will be featured at the International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights (FIFDH), which will take place in Geneva from 5-14 March, 2021.

Watch all the animations here!

Ayün will take over NOOR in honor of International Women's Day

Ana Maria Arévalo Gosen / Ayün Fotógrafas

Ana Maria Arévalo Gosen / Ayün Fotógrafas

Ayün will take over NOOR this week to announce their print sale for International Women's Day! Ayün Fotógrafas is a collective of eight female photographers united by Latin America, developing projects about human and environmental rights, identity, and territory.

The proceeds from this sale will help fund their next group project focusing on maternal health in Latin America and beyond.

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The first Nikon-NOOR Masterclasses have started!

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The first round of the Nikon-NOOR Academy mastercalsses have started on the 18th of February!

Andrea Bruce, Pep Bonet and Heba Khamis will be teaching the first 15 participants of the Nikon-NOOR masterclasses until the 26th of February.