From war zones and migration routes to communities living through prolonged crisis, the Photojournalism Zone at the Xposure International Photography Festival’s landmark 10th edition in Sharjah from 29 January to 4 February brings together photography created under risk and driven by the need to bear witness.

 

It brings together visual narratives produced from the field, including long-term documentation of enduring humanitarian crises, first-hand coverage of migrant journeys across borders, and work examining the lasting scars left by war on people and place. Collectively, these images position photography as a record that helps audiences understand unfolding realities around the world.

 

The Photojournalism Zone is structured around two core categories, Social Issues and War and Tragedies, offering a clear visual narrative that examines what lies beyond the image, including causes, consequences and the human cost often absent from headlines.

 

Social issues: long-term readings of society

The Social Issues theme brings together long-term documentary projects that examine how people live within systems shaped by change and pressure. These bodies of work are based on sustained observation rather than breaking news, allowing social conditions to emerge over time.

 

Lisbon-based documentary photographer Ricardo Lopes represents this approach through ‘Blessed Ground’, a project that reflects his transition from daily news coverage to long-form visual investigations examining the social effects of economic and environmental change. Ilvy Njiokiktjien draws on nearly two decades of experience documenting post-apartheid South Africa in ‘Born Free – Mandela’s Generation of Hope’, which follows a generation grappling with entrenched economic inequality.

 

Carol Allen-Storey presents ‘Defying the Myth: A photographic journal of love, resilience, and survival’, focusing on communities affected by conflict and disease, with particular attention to women and children, restoring depth and agency to stories often reduced to statistics. Iranian-Canadian photographer Kiana Hayeri, who lived in Kabul for eight years, documents daily life in Afghanistan through ‘No Woman’s Land’, with a sustained focus on women and adolescents navigating shifting social realities.

 

Migration and displacement are explored through Olivier Jobard’s ‘Our Afghan Family: A Memory of a Life Gone By’, produced through years of close engagement with migrant journeys across borders. Paul Lukin examines the psychological dimensions of isolation and displacement in ‘Shadows of Solitude’, using restrained black-and-white photography to reflect inner states of uncertainty and loss. Smita Sharma extends this examination through ‘We Cry in Silence’, a visual investigation into human trafficking and violence in South Asia, also published as a book.

 

War and Tragedies: when images serve as testimony

Within the War and Tragedies’ category, Xposure 2026 presents work produced under extreme conditions, where photography functions as testimony shaped by risk, urgency and consequence.

 

Michael Christopher Brown is recognised for his pioneering use of smartphone photography during the Libyan revolution in ‘The Difference Between Bullets and Stones’, a project rooted in first-hand experience on the front line. Iraqi-American photographer Salwan Georges presents ‘The Syria I Found Again’, documenting contemporary crises from Ukraine to the Middle East through images that have since entered the US Library of Congress collection.

 

María Ximena Borrazás Cataldo focuses on the war in Ethiopia’s Tigray region in ‘The Scars of the War’, examining the human impact of violence and famine through award-winning work produced under restricted conditions. From Syria, Ali Haj Suleiman presents ‘A Fight for the Truth’, drawing on years of documentation of displacement and human rights violations in Idlib, produced in collaboration with international organisations.

 

The category concludes with ‘A Decade Documenting Humanitarian Crisis’ by Giles Clarke, whose career spans major emergencies in Yemen, Somalia and Haiti. It includes field missions alongside former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

 

Xposure 2026 expands the Photojournalism experience through dedicated sessions in which photographers present their professional journeys as complete bodies of work. Each session draws directly from field experience, addressing decision-making under risk and the ethics of working with affected communities.

 

Sessions include Ilvy Njiokiktjien on ‘Storytelling and Presenting Your Work’; Michael Christopher Brown on ‘The Difference Between Bullets and Stones’; Carol Allen-Storey in a panel discussion; Kiana Hayeri in ‘How Freedom Endures in Afghanistan’;Olivier Jobard in ‘A 12-Year Documentary Relationship’; Salwan Georges in ‘The Syria I Found Again’; Smita Sharma in ‘The Illusion of Snow’; and María Ximena Borrazás Cataldo in ‘The Scars of the War’.

 

Supporting independent photojournalists

Xposure 2026 reinforces its commitment to photojournalism through the Independent Freelance Photojournalist Award (IFPA), which supports independent photographers and encourages continued coverage of global issues and crises.

 

Presented on 31 January as part of the festival programme, the award grants winners USD 15,000 alongside international recognition on the Xposure platform. The Independent Freelance Photojournalist Award recognises work across three categories: Breaking News, Environment and Solutions, with shortlisted projects exhibited to industry leaders, media organisations, and the public.

 

The award highlights photojournalism that documents urgent events, explores the natural world and human impact, and examines how communities respond to global challenges. It follows a strict set of criteria, requiring all entries to be original works captured within the last 24 months.

 

To ensure the integrity of the visual narrative, any manipulation intended to mislead the viewer is prohibited, with the exception of basic technical adjustments such as colour, contrast, and brightness.

 

The criteria also specify that submissions carrying watermarks or featuring added elements will be disqualified. Furthermore, images generated using Artificial Intelligence (AI) are not accepted.

 

A decade of visual storytelling

Organised by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau, the Xposure International Photography Festival 2026 takes place at Aljada from 29 January to 4 February under the theme ‘A Decade of Visual Storytelling’.

 

The festival features more than 126 talks and keynote sessions, 72 workshops, and 280 portfolio reviews led by international experts. Audiences can explore 95 exhibitions showcasing 3,200 works. The Xposure International Photography and Film Awards 2026 received 29,000 photography submissions and 634 film entries from 60 countries, reflecting the festival’s growing global reach and its commitment to socially and environmentally responsible visual platforms. Registration is open via the official website: xposure.net.