© Anna Mia Davidson

The CENTER Awards

The CENTER Awards recognize outstanding images, singular or part of a series, in three categories: Personal, Social and Environmental. A broad and inclusive interpretation of the themes is encouraged.

THE PERSONAL AWARD recognizes work engaging in the exploration and expression of the power of self-representation and/or underrepresented experiences.

THE SOCIALLY ENGAGED AWARD recognizes work addressing social issues. All projects exploring social topics or themes are eligible.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD recognizes work focusing on the state of the environment. Topics may include, but are not limited to, conservation, biodiversity, ecology, climate change or other issues concerning the natural world. All projects exploring ecological relationships, topics or themes are eligible.

PROJECT ADVANCEMENT PACKAGES
• Group Exhibition at CENTER
• Review Santa Fe participation
• Publication in LENSCRATCH
• Professional Development Seminars access
• Inclusion in the printed Program Guide
• Inclusion in the Online Gallery & Archive

2026 Jurors

PERSONAL AWARD

Marina Chao • Curator, Center for Photography at Woodstock (CPW)

Marina Chao held curatorial positions at the International Center of Photography and the Museum of Modern Art in NY prior to her position at CPW. She organized the exhibition Multiply, Identify, Her (ICP, 2018) and was awarded a 2019 Curatorial Research Fellowship from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts for Seeing Meaning: From Pictographs to AI, an interdisciplinary project exploring the intersections of image, language, and technology. She is currently working on a forthcoming exhibition, Laugh Riots, about the intersection of humor and political resistance in contemporary photography and video. 

SOCIALLY ENGAGED AWARD

Jeffrey Henson Scales • Photography Editor, The New York Times

Henson Scales is an award-winning New York Times photography editor who has been co-editor of the annual Year in Pictures special section for over a dozen years and he also created and curated the photography column, “Exposures,” which was a photo essay column that ran in the Opinion section from 2011-2023. A photographer and author of three books of photographs, the most recent “In A Time of Panthers, The Early Photographs.” is an archive Mr. Henson Scales made as a teenager in Oakland of the Black Panther Party in the 60s. He also is a professor of photojournalism at New York University.

ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD

Dominique Hildebrand • Climate & Environment Photo Assignment Editor, The Washington Post

Dominique commissions and curates visual narratives that illuminate the pressing environmental challenges of our time. Prior to joining The Post, Dominique was a photo editor at National Geographic, where she led multi-platform projects, including the September 2022 cover feature on America's land conservation strategy. Dominique was named a finalist for Visual Editor of the year by POYi in 2025, and she was a part of the team nominated as a finalist for the 2025 Pulitzer Prize in National Reporting.

Ville Varumo • The Garden

“A butter box becomes a construction plank, a construction plank become a house, a house becomes a gravestone. People, plants, and animal press against the frame, caught between stillness and escape. The gaze moves between public and private spaces, searching for meaning, form and boundaries. Light fades to darkness, darkness returns to light.

"The Garden" is a personal and ongoing body of work made between 202 and 2025. It traces life in a new city, the arrival of a child, and the pul between a former home and the present — the desire to escape, to fit in to take root somewhere, while remaining unable or unwilling to fully do so.”

2026 Personal Award Recipient

Anna Mia Davidson American Muslim

“Since the 2017 U.S. Muslim Ban, this color photographic portrait project has aimed to challenge negative stereotypes and biases, foster understanding, and promote social change. As an American Jewish woman and photographic artist, I feel a strong sense of moral responsibility to shed light on humanity and build bridges cross culturally. This body of work seeks to shift the narrative surrounding American Muslim women by showcasing diverse passions and talents; kickboxing, neuroscience, farming, music, Skateboarding and more, through compelling visual color photographic portraits paired with personal interview texts. Each woman featured shares her own words on how she wishes to be seen and what she hopes people will understand about her identity. The work is situated in a tradition of socially engaged photography. While deeply personal, the work also dialogues with broader histories of misunderstood communities, women, and the careful relationship between Jewish and Muslim women, coming together in the name of art and finding common ground, challenging the viewer to confront their own position within these narratives.”

2026 Socially Engaged Award Recipient

Volodymyr Voznyy Horizons

“Nearly every month, my little daughter and I would visit Boryslav, where my wife's grandmother had lived her entire life. The incredible atmosphere of these lands interested me and made me delve deeper into its history. Among the classics of Ukrainian literature, you can find Ivan Franko's 'Borislav Laughs' and 'Boa Constrictor.' After revisiting these works, I felt compelled to share the story of Boryslav and its people, as well as my feelings and emotions. This is how 'Horizons' my series of photographs, was born. It demonstrates intricate the relationships between people and nature while showcasing the contrasting historical facets of this city. Time has ruthlessly changed Boryslav's face. Once a top-3 player in global oil production, it has now become a remote province living through the harsh consequences of industrial activity. This city led me to experiment with medium format photography to avoid any accidents and to down the process of creating a picture. I also took the time to become acquainted with the city and its residents - a place that had held little significance for me before my daughter's birth. Today, Boryslav is intertwined family's history and my daughter's earliest memories.”

2026 Environmental Award Recipient

Previous Recipients

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