Award
winners
2026
We are pleased to announce the winners of the TruePicture funding programme 2026 and the two TruePicture Honorable Mentions.
The five winners of the «TruePicture Awards» each receive a project grant of 15,000 Swiss francs to realise their project ideas. In addition, TruePicture supports them with expertise and mentoring during the 18 months they work on their photo reportages.
The two Honorable Mentions each receive 2,500 Swiss francs in recognition of their work to date.
The portfolios shown here do not represent the project ideas. They offer an insight into the photographers’ work so far.
Hannah Aders
(TruePicture Award)
A última nuvem by photojournalist Hannah Aders (*1993) documents the rapid expansion of AI and data-centre infrastructure in Latin America. International technology corporations are investing billions in new data centres, turning certain regions into Latin America’s central digital hubs. At the same time, demand for energy and water is rising sharply, putting pressure on local ecosystems and communities.
The photographic work focuses on the people affected by these developments – indigenous communities and rural populations in particular. Their perspectives open up a critical examination of the ecological and social consequences of digital transformation.
Jessica Dreier
(TruePicture Award)
In her project «Margem Sul», photojournalist Jessica Dreier (*1997) examines the peripheries of Lisbon and documents how the housing crisis particularly affects communities pushed to the margins by gentrification. The project follows residents and activists who resist displacement and make their voices heard. It analyses how Portugal’s colonial past shapes present-day inequalities and makes visible structural racism and class divisions that largely remain hidden.
Nerea Lakuntza
(TruePicture Award)
For decades, thousands of newborns in Spain were taken from their families. Their mothers were often told the children had died at birth. In fact, many were secretly passed on to other families. Estimates suggest that up to 300,000 children were affected between 1939 and the 1990s by a system that originated in the repression of the Franco regime and grew into a network of identity theft and illegal adoptions.
Photojournalist Nerea Lakuntza focuses on those affected, on historical sites and on archive material, condensing the story into a visual investigation of memory, loss and identity.
Julius Schien
(TruePicture Award)
In his long-term project «DEUTSCHER HASS» (German Hatred), photojournalist Julius Schien (*1992) explores the historical roots of racism, exclusion and right-wing violence in Germany. Starting from the question of whether these phenomena emerged solely from the Nazi era or are anchored more deeply in German history, the project traces the development of ideologies of dehumanisation from imperialism through National Socialism to the present day.
Florian Sulzer
(TruePicture Award)
Islands in the Pacific are at risk of becoming largely uninhabitable as sea levels rise. Under special agreements, the residents affected have the option of emigrating to other countries and starting a new life.
The long-term reportage «Paradiese im Untergang» (Sinking Paradises) by photojournalist Florian Sulzer accompanies emigrants on their journey: from leaving their homeland, through migration, to a new beginning. At its centre are questions of identity, loss of home and the future of a society whose living space is slowly disappearing.
Anna Arnet
(Honorable Mention)
Food is essential to life – and yet millions of people develop a painful relationship with the very thing that keeps them alive. Eating disorders are among the quietest illnesses of our time. They often remain invisible while those affected struggle daily with control, fear, shame and hope.
In her photo reportage, photojournalist Anna Arnet accompanies people living with eating disorders. The focus is on their everyday realities, the spaces of their daily lives and the invisible conflicts that accompany them.
Jonathan Labusch
(Honorable Mention)
The long-term project by photojournalist Jonathan Labusch (*1993) tells of people who live along the border between Lebanon and Israel and find themselves caught between the fronts on all sides. It examines questions of home, identity, belonging and security – in a region where political decisions and military conflicts determine the lives of entire families.
Jury report
2026
In 2026, TruePicture, the funding programme for young photojournalists, presented the coveted «TruePicture Awards» and two Honorable Mentions for the fifth time. Interest in the programme remains high: 12 nominators identified 33 talents from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Unlike conventional photography prizes, TruePicture does not reward reportages that have already been realised, but the originality and social significance of projects yet to be made.
The jury – Manuel Bauer together with Nicole Aeby, picture editor at the NZZ, and Sarah Girard, former director of the Bieler Fototage and board member of Le Temps – selected the seven winners (5 TruePicture Awards, 2 Honorable Mentions) in a multi-stage process.
«The award-winning reportage projects put their finger on social flashpoints and convince through the high quality of their visual language», says jury member Sarah Girard.