Judges in the Student grant category had difficulty selecting two top entries among the 103 entries received from 42 countries, so they selected three! Again, thanks to the Smith Fund’s donors and corporate supporters, it is able to financially support this decision and provide $15,000 in student grants instead of the two budgeted grants totaling $10,000.
“The submissions for this year’s Eugene Smith Student grant showcased exceptional diversity and depth,” explained Munem Wasif, a documentary photographer and educator from Bangladesh and one of this year’s Student grant judges. “As judges, we faced a challenging task, engaging in multiple rounds of debate to reach a final decision. It was inspiring to see so many young photographers deeply committed to extensive engagement and thorough research over long periods,” he added.
Lea Greub (Germany) is one of this year’s Smith Student grant recipients and is currently attending the Ostkreuz School of Photography in Berlin. Her project, Burning Sun on Frozen Conflicts, captures life in Northern Cyprus, an island that has been divided since the civil war between Greek and Turkish Cypriots.
“Receiving the W. Eugene Smith Student Grant is a great honor,” Ms. Greub said. “With the support of the grant, I will continue my research and photography on the island, culminating in an exhibition at the Ostkreuz School of Photography in Berlin.”
Mosfiqur Rahman Johan (Bangladesh) is a student at Counter Foto-Center for Visual Arts in Dhaka. His project, Memories of Disappearance, documents the everyday acts of resistance undertaken by women and children whose husbands and fathers were forcibly taken by state agencies in Bangladesh.
“I am deeply honored and grateful to receive this Grant,” Mosfiqur Rahman Johan said. “This recognition means so much—not just to me but to the families I’ve worked with over the years. It gives me hope that their stories of loss and resilience will reach people around the world.”
Gerd Waliszewski (U.S., based in Germany) is also a student at the Ostkreuz School of Photography in Berlin. His story, Between the Sirens, is a documentary project about young Ukrainians in times of the Russian invasion of their country. “Receiving the prestigious W. Eugene Smith Student grant is a great honor,” Mr. Waliszewski said. “This grant will allow me to continue my photographic work during the most crucial time for Ukraine.”
“All the projects the judges selected had in its core the visual exploration of these students on the vulnerability of the political systems, and their impact on daily life,” said Mariana Rettore, a member of the Student Grant adjudication panel and an Exhibitions Manager and Curator at the World Press Photo Foundation in Amsterdam.
Darcy Padilla, Associate Professor of Art at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the 2010 recipient of the W. Eugene Smith grant, was also a member of the Student Grant adjudication panel.
