From the British Journal of Photography, the Female in Focus award was launched in 2019, in response to the staggering gender imbalance in photography. Globally, 70-80% of photography students are women. Yet, women account for only 13-15% of professional photographers. When women’s stories aren’t recognised, we don’t see the whole picture.

From Sonali Ohrie’s ode to her mother’s newfound freedom, to Stephanie Langenhoven’s celebration of the pregnant form and Sophie Spring’s love letter to London parks, Female in Focus traverses dynamic tales from across the globe.

In the Series category, Lina Geoushy’s winning series, Shame Less: A Protest Against Sexual Violence, responds to the dismissal and normalisation of gender-based violence in Egypt. Meanwhile, Valentina Fusco’s winning body of work, eMovere, was born from a need to understand the most intimate, emotional and multifaceted meaning of migration.

This edition of the award focuses on the theme of home. Traversing subjects including climate change (Marie Smith) and the myth of bodily perfection (Jasmine De Silva), the winners present stories of resilience, freedom and joy. With winning images by world-class photographers spanning five continents, British Journal of Photography’s Female in Focus shows us the world through their eyes.

Looking back at a year where so much changed, the winning work from Female in Focus 2020 can be found in digital displays through the exhibition; weaving delicate stories of beauty and pain; joy and injustice; resilience and reflection. 

Artists