Photographs have power – and I was reminded of just how much emotion an image can carry when one of the newest feature photo series to win a Pulitzer instantly brought tears to my eyes. A series of black-and-white photographs by Jahi Chikwendiu, a former The Washington Post photographer, following a young couple welcoming their first child as the father faced terminal cancer, has won a 2026 Pulitzer Prize in the Feature Photography category.
In the series that the Pulitzer Prize committee calls “a heart-wrenching and achingly beautiful photo essay,” Chikwendiu documented the struggles of a young family welcoming their first child while the father faced terminal cancer. Tanner and Shay Martin, of Utah, welcomed their daughter on May 17, 2025. Tanner died from stage 4 colon cancer less than six weeks later on June 25, 2025.
Tanner was just 25 years old and studying for a bachelor’s degree when he was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in 2020. Chikwendiu’s photo essay documents the struggles of facing a terminal diagnosis at an age when many young adults are starting families and careers.
“Most cancers in the United States are found in people age 65 and older, but a new study shows a concerning trend: Cancer among younger Americans, particularly women, is on the rise, with gastrointestinal, endocrine and breast cancers climbing at the fastest rates,” the caption to the photo story reads.
“There is not a clear explanation why cancer rates are rising among younger people, but experts say there are several possible reasons behind the trend, including rising obesity rates and lifestyle factors such as drinking alcohol, smoking, sleeping poorly and being sedentary,” the caption continues. “Environmental factors, including exposure to pollutants and carcinogenic chemicals, also probably play a role.”
Chikwendiu’s work follows the family across several months, including sonogram appointments, home life, moments with the newborn, and the funeral for the 25-year-old new father.
The photo series is both beautiful and heartbreaking, but it draws attention to a growing problem of cancer diagnosis among younger generations.
When I first saw the series, the images brought immediate tears to my eyes. Viewing the photographs was particularly emotional for me because I’ve experienced the ripple effects of young adults facing a cancer diagnosis: I lost my best friend to breast cancer before she even reached the recommended age for regular mammograms.
Chikwendiu was working with The Washington Post when he shot the series, where he had worked since 2001. However, Chikwendiu's bio now lists him as a former photographer for the Washington Post – the publication laid off 30 percent of its workers in February, including every one of its photographers.
Chikwendiu's work has spanned from the US invasion of Iraq, AIDS in Kenya, and genocide in Darfur, as well as topics closer to home, including Washington DC’s school system. Prior to his photojournalism career, Chikwendiu worked as a math teacher, but freelancing as a photographer over the summer break quickly led to a career shift into photography.
Chikwendiu’s photo series joins a list of award-winning work across journalism, books, drama, and music for 2026. Among photojournalists, Saher Alghorra of The New York Times, received a Pulitzer in the Breaking News Photography category for documenting the devastation in Gaza from the war with Israel.
Finalists for the 2026 Pulitzer Feature Photography category were Gabrielle Lurie of the San Francisco Chronicle for a series on the fentanyl crisis and the staff photographers of The New York Times for in-depth photography on the drone warfare in Ukraine.
Additional photographs from Chikwendiu’s series are available from the Pulitzer Prize website.
You may also like
For more powerful photojournalism inspiration, view the 2026 World Press Photo Award winners.
