IWMF announces inception of Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award

April 15, 2014 — The International Women’s Media Foundation is honored to announce the inception of the Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award honoring the courage and dedication of AP photographer Anja Niedringhaus who was killed in Afghanistan on Friday.

Created with a $1million endowment gift from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the Award will be given annually to a woman photojournalist whose work follows in the footsteps of Anja Niedringhaus.

Niedringhaus, who won the IWMF Courage in Journalism Award in 2005, spent her life documenting wars and the effects of conflict on people in war-torn regions. "I could have stayed out of trouble most of my life but always have been drawn to the people who suffer in difficult situations," she told the audience at the 2005 Courage Awards ceremony.

A photographer himself, Howard G. Buffett recalls being so deeply impressed with Niedringhaus’ talent and dedication that his foundation provided the funds for her to attend Harvard University as a Nieman Fellow in 2007. Upon learning that Niedringhaus had been shot by a gunman in East Afghanistan on April 4, 2014, Buffett told the IWMF: "I considered Anja a friend who represented the best of photojournalism. By creating this award, we ensure her spirit lives on. Anja's voice may be silenced but our hope is that other voices who share her commitment become louder."

In the tradition of the IWMF Courage in Journalism Award which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, the Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism Award will honor women photojournalists who set themselves apart by their extraordinary bravery. Facing and surviving danger to uncover the truth, they raise the bar for reporting under duress.

About the Howard G. Buffett Foundation: Established in 1999, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation (HGBF) is a private family foundation working to improve the standard of living and quality of life for the world?s most impoverished and marginalized populations. We look for opportunities where our funding is the catalytic capital that seeds sustainable, transformational change.