Summary
- Johanna Alarcón won the Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award 2026
- The series When the Earth Gives Birth focuses on Indigenous midwifery in Ecuador
- The project documents AMUPAKIN and Partera de Anaku
- The photographer presents midwifery as knowledge, care and tradition
- The award includes a £4,000 prize
Photographer Johanna Alarcón has won the Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award 2026 with a series dedicated to Indigenous midwifery in Ecuador.
The winning series, When the Earth Gives Birth, documents the work of AMUPAKIN and Partera de Anaku, two Indigenous midwifery care initiatives in the Amazon and Andean regions.
The award is significant because it highlights women and communities that have provided midwifery and prenatal care for decades in areas where Indigenous women face increased risks during pregnancy and childbirth.
The series that won the award
Johanna Alarcón received the Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award 2026 for her photographic project When the Earth Gives Birth.
The series focuses on midwives, apprentices and women receiving care through traditional and community-based health structures. Through her images, the photographer documents the daily reality of midwifery practice, its connection with nature and its role within Ecuador’s Indigenous communities.
The project refers to AMUPAKIN and Partera de Anaku, presented as the first Indigenous midwifery schools and care structures in the Amazon and Andes.
Take a look here.
Johanna Alarcón and the themes of her work
Johanna Alarcón is an Ecuadorian photographer and a Magnum Foundation member. Her work explores collective memory, spirituality and the relationship between communities and their territory, with a particular focus on Latin America.
With When the Earth Gives Birth, Alarcón connects photography with motherhood and spirituality, creating a visual narrative about how women and Indigenous peoples preserve practices of care and life within challenging social and geographic environments.
What is the Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award
The Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award is an annual competition supporting professional women photographers who work on social, environmental, economic or cultural issues.
The award is named after Marilyn Stafford, an important 20th-century American photojournalist, and is facilitated by FotoDocument. Alarcón received a £4,000 prize, while the distinction is expected to bring wider visibility to her work.
Why the project stands out
The series does not approach midwifery only as a medical act, but as a field of knowledge, tradition and community care.
Alarcón’s images document prenatal visits, home care, traditional practices and the use of plants that hold significance for local communities. At the same time, they bring forward women who often remain invisible in the public conversation around health and motherhood.
What we think
Johanna Alarcón’s distinction shows the power of photojournalism when it turns toward stories that combine social depth, cultural memory and human dignity. When the Earth Gives Birth appears to be a project that does not simply seek the aesthetic strength of the image, but creates space for voices and practices that deserve greater attention.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award 2026?
The award was won by Ecuadorian photographer Johanna Alarcón.
What is the subject of the winning series?
The series When the Earth Gives Birth documents Indigenous midwifery care in Ecuador’s Amazon and Andean regions.
What are AMUPAKIN and Partera de Anaku?
They are Indigenous midwifery care initiatives, presented as schools and health structures for women in the Amazon and Andean regions.
What is the cash prize of the award?
Johanna Alarcón received £4,000.
Who is the award aimed at?
The Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award is aimed at professional women photographers documenting social, environmental, economic or cultural issues.
