Ed Kashi is an internationally recognized photojournalist, filmmaker, speaker and educator. A contributing photographer to the VII Foundation, Kashi is recognized for his complex and compelling rendering of the human condition. In addition to producing 14books, he is a pioneer and innovator of multimedia, whose work has been published and exhibited worldwide.

Ed Kashi will begin a new project examining the effects of heat stress on women working in informal labor sectors in India.

“Receiving this grant will enable us to begin our project looking at the impact of heat stress on female workers in a variety of informal sectors in India,” said Kashi. “Our project will not only raise awareness about this pressing issue—which will only intensify with climate change—but also explore potential solutions to make labor safer on a warming planet.”

The jury praised Kashi’s powerful visual storytelling and the significance of his proposal, saying: “His work addressing the effects of heat on workers is incredibly timely. The strength of his entry images and video demonstrates his ability to tackle a difficult, meaningful subject with depth and clarity.”

edkashi.com/

Laura Morton is a freelance documentary photographer based in San Francisco, California. Much of her personal work focuses on how cultural trends influence the human experience, as well as economic issues.  

Born in Maryland, she attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she graduated with a degree in Political Science and Journalism. She moved to San Francisco in 2006 and has been based there ever since.  

Since 2014, she has been documenting the economic boom in Silicon Valley’s technology industry and the culture that has emerged around it with her ongoing project, “Wild West Tech,” which was initially financed with support from the Magnum Foundation Emergency Fund grant. In 2022, she received the Pierre & Alexandra Boulat Award to continue this work. The project is ongoing and is now focused on the individuals behind the development of artificial intelligence.  

Other projects exploring the intersection of economic issues and culture include “The Social Stage” on San Francisco’s high society lifestyle, “University Avenue,” which was awarded the 2018 Canon Female Photojournalist Award, and an on-going project on San Francisco’s principal tourist destination, Fisherman’s Wharf, which was funded with the National Geographic Society’s Emergency Fund for Journalists.  

From that work, Laura has developed a keen interest in documenting the cultures and customs of her own country, especially rural America. Her ongoing project, “America’s Homecoming,” grew out of this interest. She began the project using her family’s home in rural Pennsylvania as a base and will be expanding to the rest of the country with the support of the Bob & Millie Lynn Grant.

She has worked with publications such as National Geographic Magazine, German GEO, Marie Claire, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, 6 Mois, Newsweek Japan and many others.  

Laura Morton will continue her long-term project America’s Homecoming, which explores what unites Americans across diverse regional cultures amid increasing political and social division. By documenting annual traditions and festivals that celebrate local heritage and shared national identity, Morton’s work visualizes both regional uniqueness and collective symbols.

“Morton’s photographs have a wonderful sense of place and are unified by her quirky, insightful visual style,” said the jurors. “Her exploration of American community traditions during this time of division offers a valuable and timely perspective.”

lauramortonphoto.com/

Caitlin O’Hara is a photojournalist and member of Juntos Photo Cooperative based in the Sonoran Desert in Phoenix, Arizona. She studied Journalism at Indiana University in Bloomington and Korean Language at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. She aims to create accountable relationships with people over long-term documentary work. She is collaborating with the Kahn family to chronicle their responses to a rare disease diagnosis and the impact of their foundation research for other families affected by Juvenile Batten disease (CLN-3). When she’s not on assignment, she enjoys trail running and birdwatching.

Caitlin O’Hara will continue her deeply personal documentary Fighting the Batten Monster, in collaboration with the Kahn family and their fraternal twins, Mackenzie and Amelia, who were diagnosed with Juvenile Batten Disease (CLN3) in 2017.

“My hope is that the photos from my collaboration with the Kahn family encourage more scientists to research Juvenile Batten Disease,” said O’Hara.

Jurors highlighted the emotional strength of her work: “O’Hara’s story is beautifully composed and deeply moving. The interaction between the sisters and their parents is touching and intimate, filled with emotional resonance.”

caitlinohara.com/

The NPPF Officers and Board of Directors extend their warmest congratulations to Ed, Caitlin and Laura on this well-deserved honor and look forward to the powerful work that will emerge with the support of the Bob & Millie Lynn Grant.

The 2024 grant jury consisted of Bob Lynn, Michele McDonald, and William Tiernan.

The Bob & Millie Lynn Grant was established by longtime photo editor Bob Lynn to encourage photojournalists to pursue stories that reveal overlooked aspects of American life. The grant reflects Lynn’s belief that:

“Our profession has a long history of helping to make a difference.” That legacy continues through the work of this year’s grantees. Learn more about Bob Lynn and the grant’s origins at nppf.org/bob-lynn-bio.

2022 Bob & Mllie Lynn Grant Recipient

2021 Bob & Millie Lynn Awards

Bob and Millie Lynn announce NPPF 2021 Bob Lynn Grant recipients

Veteran photojournalist Mary Calvert and photo student Nathan Posner are winners of this year’s Bob & Millie Lynn Grant, which promotes coverage of important social issues and under-reported stories.  Each will receive $4,000 to help fund their projects. Calvert is renowned for images that go to the heart of social justice issues. In 2020, she was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in the feature photography category for her project on male sexual assault survivors in the armed forces. She has put a spotlight on “Missing in Action: Homeless Women Veterans” and the sexual abuse of women in the military. The grant will help fund her project, “Uranium Contamination on the Navajo Nation.”  “While Covid comes and goes, the devastating impact of uranium contamination will continue to afflict the Navajo people for generations,” said Calvert. She described Bob Lynn as “a fantastic editor who ran one of the best photo staffs on one of the best newspapers for photography in our business.”  For 17 years, Lynn was assistant managing editor/graphics at the Virginian-Pilot. Georgetown University student Nathan Posner won for his project, “Behind the Ballot – An intimate portrait of those who drive Georgia’s election process.” His entry caught the eye of judges at a time when voting rights, especially in Georgia, have become a crucial national issue. Posner plans to begin work this summer and take the fall 2022 semester off to cover events around Georgia leading up to election day. “I am especially looking forward to the advice and mentoring offered by the grant’s founder, Bob Lynn,” he said. Lynn created this annual grant to encourage photojournalists to pursue stories that expose the side of American society that tends to be under-covered or ignored.  It underlines his firm belief that “Our profession has a long history of helping to make a difference,” a mark of his stellar journalism career. In this era of shrinking newsrooms, Calvert sees organizations like NPPF taking on greater importance. “Journalists provide a service that is vital to our democracy. I believe that we have a duty to shine a light into the deepest recesses of the human experience and provide a mirror for society to examine itself. “I became a photojournalist because I wanted to give voice to the voiceless, and the NPPF is making sure that more important stories can be told,” said Calvert, two-time winner of the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award that honors work on human rights.

2020 Bob & Millie Lynn Awards

Michael Blackshire