Siegfried Modola, an Italian-British photographer, thanked first "the people who allowed us to tell their stories" in this report entitled "The Armed Revolution in Burma", which took two years of work and was published by the Globe & Mail.

The other nominees were Michael Bunel (The Pictorium) for "Research, Save and Protect" on the work of NGOs rescuing people in exile crossing the Mediterranean, and Tyler Hicks (The New York Times) for "Bakhmut, a city at war", Ukraine.

French photographer Michael Bunel at the "Visa pour l'image" festival, on September 6, 2023 in Perpignan © Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP

Last year, the Visa d'or News rewarded Ukrainian photographer Evgeniy Maloletka (Associated Press, AP) for his reporting on bombed Mariupol.

Burma had already been at the heart of the Visa d'or News in 2021 which, for the first time, had rewarded a photographer who remained anonymous for security, for his images of "The Spring Revolution" in his country.

Ukraine, climate, migrants...

This 35th edition of Visa highlighted the impact of human activity on the planet and the climate, the theme of many exhibitions, but also the perilous routes of exile and therefore Ukraine.

Tyler Hicks received the Golden Visa from the daily press for his work in Bakhmut, emblematic city of Ukrainian resistance to the invasion by Russia.

An employee hangs photos of Tyler Hicks, "Bakhmout, a city at war", during the Visa pour l'image festival, August 24, 2023 in Perpignan © RAYMOND ROIG / AFP

And the Visa d'or for digital information France Info went to Virginie Nguyen Hoang for her web documentary "Life under the fire of war" on the daily life of Ukrainians, broadcast by Libre Belgique.

Ebrahim Noroozi's (AP) work in Afghanistan, titled "The saddest country in the world and the worst country for women," was awarded the Visa d'or magazine.

The Humanitarian Visa d'or of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has rewarded Federico Rios Escobar for his reports, published in the NYT, on the hell of Darién, an inextricable jungle between Colombia and Panama, through which migrants wishing to reach the United States cross.

Colombian photographer Federico Rios Escobar during the Visa pour l'image festival, September 6, 2023 in Perpignan © Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP

Figaro Magazine's Visa d'or d'honneur, honoring the career of a working photographer, singled out Noël Quidu, who since the 1980s has covered multiple conflicts.

The Visa d'or of the City of Perpignan/Rémi Ochlik went to Emily Garthwaite (Institute) for "Didjla: journey along the Tigris", in Iraq.

Among other awards and scholarships, the Carmignac Prize recognized the work of Anas Aremeyaw Anas, Muntaka Chasant and Bénédicte Kurzen (Noor) on Ghana in addressing the ecological and human impact of the e-waste stream.

Awards and bursaries

The Yves Rocher Foundation Prize went to Gaël Turine, for his project on sacred forests in Benin and Nigeria, while the ANI-PixTrakk prize rewarded Karine Pierre's photos of the kingpin of the Ghobeiry district in Lebanon.

Cinzia Canneri received the Camille Lepage Prize to continue her work on violence against women in Tigray and Eritrea, and Paolo Manzo the Pierre & Alexandre Boulat Prize to continue her report on inequalities in "Naples, the invisible city".

The SAIF/Benoit Schaeffer Fellowship for Photographic Publishing went to Alfred Yaghobzadeh, who is preparing his first monograph.

Finally, the Canon Woman Photojournalist Grant was awarded to Anastasia Taylor-Lind, the New Urban Photography Grant supported by Google to Valentin Goppel, and the Canon Short Video Documentary Grant to Juan Vicente Manrique Gomez.

The festival also focused on the revolts in Iran with, for the first time, a collective exhibition of anonymous people because "it is no longer possible to work", to identify oneself as a photographer in this country, said its director, Jean-François Leroy, to AFP.

Visa, which started on September 2, offered free screenings, meetings with photographers and debates during this professional week. Its 24 exhibitions remain open to the public until the 17th.

© 2023 AFP