World Press Photo 2025.
Two current and two former students of the Visual Journalism and Documentary Photography programme have been awarded.

The winners of the renowned World Press Photo Contest 2025 have been announced. Three awards in the Europe region and one in the South America region have gone to photographers who are enrolled on theVisual Journalism and Documentary Photography programme or have attended our international class.
Nanna Heitmann has won a prize at World Press Photo for the second time, this time in the “Singles” category. Her photo “Underground Field Hospital” shows an injured soldier in an underground field hospital near Bakhmut, Ukraine. It tells of violence, loss and the consequences of the war in Ukraine. The student enrolled in the Visual Journalism and Documentary Photography programme works regularly for the New York Times and is a full member of Magnum Photos. In 2024, she was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in the Feature Photography category.
Rafael Heygster was honoured for his work “Democracy Dies in Darkness” in the “Stories” category. He documented AfD election campaign events in Germany. His work explores how the far-right party presents itself in the media – and the dangers this harbours for democratic societies. Rafael Heygster will soon complete his bachelor’s degree in ‘Visual Journalism and Documentary Photography’ in Hanover and works as a freelance photographer at the same time.
Aliona Kardash receives the prize in the Long-Term Projects category for her work “It Smells of Smoke at Home“. The photographer, who was born in Siberia and lives in Hamburg, documents a visit to her old home town in Russia. Aliona tries to capture how war changes us and to strengthen the belief that personal bonds are stronger than the forces that tear us apart. Aliona, a member of the DOCKS collective, has worked for years for international media such as Der Spiegel, Die Zeit and The Washington Post. She took part in the International Class at Hanover University of Applied Sciences and Arts in 2017.
Santiago Mesa won the “Stories” category in the South America region with his project “Jaidë”.
Santiago’s work is about the indigenous community of the Emberá Dobida. Many Emberá fled violence from the rainforest in Colombia and now live on the margins of society in Bogotá. Mesa mainly accompanies women who suffer under precarious conditions – and shows an alarming increase in suicides in the community. Mesa graduated from the International Class of the Visual Journalism and Documentary Photography programme. He previously studied journalism and fine arts in Medellín.



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