The Everyday Projects 2023 Year in Review
2023 was an incredible year for The Everyday Projects. We produced another season of The Essentials, gave grants to two journalists to report on their local communities, were featured in global exhibits, and so much more. On top of that, we expanded our community of phenomenal photographers, who are creating images that break stereotypes and change minds!
Photo by Mihaela Aroyo, one of this year’s The Everyday Projects Grant winners.
We partnered with Black Women Photographers and PhotoWings for Season 4 of The Essentials
This year’s teachers and hosts of The Essentials (top row from left, teachers: Marie D. De Jesús, Saiyna Bashir, Lynsey Weatherspoon, second row from left: María Magdalena Arréllaga, Zakiyyah Woods, Janet Jarman, bottom row: Maheder Haileselassie and hosts, Polly Irungu and Danielle Villasana.)
This year, we were joined by highly experienced visual storytellers who shared their expertise on covering news beyond the headlines, thinking outside the editorial box, editing for an assignment and personal project, incorporating video work into your practice, and more.
With hundreds of people joining us around the world, our weekend webinar was the perfect place for both emerging and experienced storytellers to learn more about how to hone their skills, successfully navigate the industry, and build their community. A huge thank you to Black Women Photographers and PhotoWings for another successful season! You can now watch all classes from all seasons on our website, with subtitles available in English, French, and Spanish.
We awarded a grant to two journalists
We had over 1,200 applications for our 2023 grant program, and it was an honor to go through them and see all the work happening around the world. The grant program speaks to The Everyday Projects' core values, including our mission to support photojournalists from diverse backgrounds as they develop their craft. In an effort to help provide this vital support, The Everyday Projects awarded grants to Mihaela Aroyo and Jaír F. Coll to help each of them work on a long-term project in their community. Mihaela and Jaír also receive yearlong mentorship from photographer Kiana Hayeri and The Washington Post's Jennifer Pritheeva Samuel.
Mihaela's project, Root, explores the feeling of identity of the Bulgarian diaspora living in the historical region of Bessarabia, within Moldova and Ukraine, focusing on the community’s traditions and daily life and revealing the multi-layered cultural and political context of the area.
Jaír's project, B-Migrant aims to strengthen the visual and investigative work of how breakdance brings together experiences that present art as a territory without borders, connecting ways of feeling and being in the world.
We plan to award this grant again in 2024. Would you make a tax-deductible donation to help make that a reality?
We would also like to congratulate the six photographers who were named as finalists.
Ebrahim Alipoor | @ebrahim_alipoor | ebrahimalipoor.com
Fatma Fahmy | @fatmah.fahmy
Ksenia Kuleshova | @ksukuleshova | kuleshova.de
Adra Pallon | @adrapallon | adrapallon.com
Azad Amin Rashti | @azadamin | azadamin.com
Mitar Simikic | @mitar.simikic | mitarsimikic.com
We partnered with Zuri to make a one-of-a-kind tote bag — you can still get yours today!
These one-of-a-kind bags made by Zuri, an ethical fashion company based in Nairobi, Kenya, feature an image by Everyday Africa photographer Yagazie Emezi, a Nigerian artist and self-taught photojournalist focused on stories surrounding African women and their health, sexuality, education and human rights.
The rest of the bag is made up of materials leftover at Zuri’s shop, meaning that each bag is unique, environmentally friendly, and tote-ally yours.
We are selling these one-of-a-kind bags as a fundraiser for The Everyday Projects. All funds from your purchase go towards helping us support the community of 400+ Everyday photographers.
We updated our curriculum
Students in the Everyday Bronx (left photo) and Everyday Mombasa (center and right photos) educational workshops
Our curriculum encourages middle and high school students to learn about stereotypes, photography, representation, journalism, and truth in storytelling. Over the course of ten classroom sessions, students gain a broader understanding of life around the world, and then apply those lessons to their own lives, telling the stories of their own communities through photography. See the full curriculum here — and if you're a teacher, be sure to sign up at that link to get updates.
Student exhibitions: Everyday DC with the Pulitzer Center (left and center photo) and Everyday Bronx with the Bronx Documentary Center (right photo)
We collaborated with NPR to examine heat around the world
NeÌ ema Byanyira, 25, a mom of three, is rarely without her umbrella when she's on the move. She brings it to market, to church and to visit her sister. Photo by Esther N'sapu for NPR
In an ongoing collaboration with NPR, The Everyday Projects asked our contributors to make pictures of heat relief strategies in their countries. Their cameras took aim at the cool floors of a mosque's entryway in Kashmir, kids splashing in a makeshift pool in a working-class Cairo neighborhood, an icy and affordable treat in Singapore, and more.
Ice kachang often consists of shaved ice, red beans, corn, agar agar and palm seed topped with flavored syrup and evaporated milk which adds to its sweetness. The frozen treat's popularity has spawned many varieties, with fruit toppings like mango, for example. Photo by Amrita Chandradas for NPR
We worked with World Press Photo for an exhibit in Oldenburg, Germany
For the fourth year in a row, The Everyday Projects worked with World Press Photo to create a special show in Oldenburg Castle. The exhibit examined endangered species and habitats globally, with prints from six photographers from the Everyday Projects community: Celina Chien (Everyday Extinction), Garry Lotulung (Everyday South East Asia), Esther Ruth Mbabazi (Everyday Africa), Nichole Sobecki (Everyday Africa), Gena Steffens (Everyday Extinction), and Ivan Valencia (Everyday Extinction).
We had an exhibit with FinDev Canada
FinDev Canada partnered with Everyday Projects photographers in selected regions to capture images that challenge traditional perceptions of business in emerging markets and developing economies.
Photo by Miora Rajaonary.
Everyday Bronx exhibited at Photoville
Founded in 2014, Everyday Bronx rewrites the narrative of the Bronx one photo at a time, telling the complex story of the often-overlooked daily life in the Bronx. Photographer Rhynna M. Santos leads a five-member volunteer team that posts images every day of the year.
Help our community continue to grow
Our global movement continues to grow, and photographers in our community worked with some of the world’s most prominent media outlets this year, exhibited their work around the globe, won major awards, and so much more. But most importantly, we grew our community of over 400 journalists around the world who are all working to change the way we tell stories, combat harmful misperceptions and to rise above persistent inequality.
If you'd like to support us in the new year as we continue our mission, please consider a tax-deductible donation by clicking below!
And we want to say a very special thanks to our friends at PhotoWings, who partnered with us on our educational curriculum and a new season of "The Essentials" with Black Women Photographers.
