Nikon announces winner of Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award 2024

Images from Isabella Franceschini's ‘The Leap of Fish that Dream of Flying’ .

Nikon has announced this year’s winner of the esteemed Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award as Isabella Franceschini, for her work, ‘The Leap of Fish that Dream of Flying’. 

The annual award was first launched on International Women’s Day 2017, as a way to recognise the work of female documentary photographers, tackling important social, environmental, economic or cultural issues. 

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The 2024 competition was once again launched by FotoDocument on International Women’s Day and marks Nikon’s fifth consecutive year as sponsor. Submissions were judged by an international panel, including award-winning photojournalist and Nikon Ambassador, Andrea Bruce, along with honorary judge, Lina Clerke, daughter of the late, great Marilyn Stafford, whose incredible body of photographic work continues to inspire new generations of photographers. 

Along with the prestige that comes with winning the Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award, Isabella Franceschini scooped the prize fund of $3,220 / £2,500. The Italian photographer’s thought-provoking series documents the decommissioning of Italy’s largest thermal power station, the Polesine Camerini. Franceschini began documenting the now inactive power plant in 2015: “showcasing how humans have both benefited from this environment and yet also exploited it with the industrial site of the thermoelectric power plant.”  

‘Where the river meets the sea’ – Polesine Camerini 2022 September 7: An aerial view from a helicopter of part of the decommissioning industrial thermoelectric site at the Pila Po mouth. The colossal plant was planned in the 1960s following significant floods in 1951 and 1956 to prevent emigration and meet approximately 10% of Italy's electricity needs. It operated for twenty years on a marshy area spanning over 300 hectares. (Image credit: Isabella Franceschini)

According to Isabella herself, the award “represents a unique opportunity to share my project with a wider international audience, promoting awareness and understanding of the importance of preserving delicate ecosystems… Furthermore, the Award provides me with the necessary resources to continue documenting my work in this area and to produce a book that promotes sustainable development.” 

The documentary photographer’s achievements were echoed by Nikon marketing director Julian Harvie, who said: “‘The Leap of Fish that Dream of Flying’ is as inspiring as it is thought-provoking (...) They say great photography asks great questions, and the story of her work does just that.” 

‘The control room’ – Polesine Camerini, 2021 March 9: The control room of the Delta thermoelectric plant before its demolition. During its operational life, the number of employees in the industrial sector increased from 23.3% in 1951 to 41.9% in 2001. We are currently placing greater emphasis on renewable energies and prioritizing pathways toward a zero-emission energy system. (Image credit: Isabella Franceschini)

‘The female fishers of the Delta’ – Scardovari, 2023 March 7: Mara is inside the ‘cavana’, the stilt houses used by fishermen for breeding mussels and clams and for sheltering boats. Aquaculture in the Scardovari lagoon has been developing since the 1970s through the Polesine Cooperative Fishermen, which is currently the EU’s leading shellfish producer with a workforce of 1,470 producers, almost half of whom are female.  (Image credit: Isabella Franceschini)

‘New commitments’ – Porto Tolle 2023 July 1: Children are playing in the water park of the Barricata tourist village, which spans an area of 5 hectares with camping pitches, mobile homes, tents, and lodges near the Po Tolle mouth. Recently, strategic lines have been outlined for sustainable, responsible, and eco-friendly tourism under the supervision of the Po Veneto Regional Park Authority, taking into account the impact on the Delta ecosystem. (Image credit: Isabella Franceschini)

As well as FotoDocument founder Nina Emett: “Franceschini's project (...) stood out for its hauntingly beautiful images, eloquent narrative storytelling, and environmental importance and replicability.”

To find out more about the Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award, this year’s winner, Isabella Franceschini, and the 2024 competition’s honourable mentions, visit the FotoDocument website.

As well as sponsoring the incredible Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award, Nikon is responsible for some of the best mirrorless cameras on the market, along with the best Z lenses. The Nikon Z f stands as one of the best retro cameras and is the perfect photojournalism companion.