Accessibility Statement Skip Navigation
  • Why PRWeb
  • How It Works
  • Who Uses It
  • Pricing
  • Login
  • GDPR
  • Create a Free Account
Return to PRWeb homepage
  • News
  • Resources
  • Contact
When typing in this field, a list of search results will appear and be automatically updated as you type.

Searching for your content...

No results found. Please change your search terms and try again.
  • News in Focus
      • Browse News Releases

      • All News Releases
      • Multimedia Gallery

      • All Multimedia
      • All Photos
      • All Videos
  • Business & Money
      • Auto & Transportation

      • Aerospace, Defense
      • Air Freight
      • Airlines & Aviation
      • Automotive
      • Maritime & Shipbuilding
      • Railroads and Intermodal Transportation
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Transportation, Trucking & Railroad
      • Travel
      • Trucking and Road Transportation
      • View All Auto & Transportation

      • Business Technology

      • Blockchain
      • Broadcast Tech
      • Computer & Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Components
      • Electronic Design Automation
      • Financial Technology
      • High Tech Security
      • Internet Technology
      • Nanotechnology
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Semiconductors
      • View All Business Technology

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Financial Services & Investing

      • Accounting News & Issues
      • Acquisitions, Mergers and Takeovers
      • Banking & Financial Services
      • Bankruptcy
      • Bond & Stock Ratings
      • Conference Call Announcements
      • Contracts
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Dividends
      • Earnings
      • Earnings Forecasts & Projections
      • Financing Agreements
      • Insurance
      • Investments Opinions
      • Joint Ventures
      • Mutual Funds
      • Private Placement
      • Real Estate
      • Restructuring & Recapitalization
      • Sales Reports
      • Shareholder Activism
      • Shareholder Meetings
      • Stock Offering
      • Stock Split
      • Venture Capital
      • View All Financial Services & Investing

      • General Business

      • Awards
      • Commercial Real Estate
      • Corporate Expansion
      • Earnings
      • Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
      • Human Resource & Workforce Management
      • Licensing
      • New Products & Services
      • Obituaries
      • Outsourcing Businesses
      • Overseas Real Estate (non-US)
      • Personnel Announcements
      • Real Estate Transactions
      • Residential Real Estate
      • Small Business Services
      • Socially Responsible Investing
      • Surveys, Polls and Research
      • Trade Show News
      • View All General Business

  • Science & Tech
      • Consumer Technology

      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Blockchain
      • Cloud Computing/Internet of Things
      • Computer Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Consumer Electronics
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Gaming
      • Financial Technology
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Multimedia & Internet
      • Peripherals
      • Social Media
      • STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math)
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Consumer Technology

      • Energy & Natural Resources

      • Alternative Energies
      • Chemical
      • Electrical Utilities
      • Gas
      • General Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Oil & Energy
      • Oil and Gas Discoveries
      • Utilities
      • Water Utilities
      • View All Energy & Natural Resources

      • Environ­ment

      • Conservation & Recycling
      • Environmental Issues
      • Environmental Policy
      • Environmental Products & Services
      • Green Technology
      • Natural Disasters
      • View All Environ­ment

      • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Aerospace & Defense
      • Agriculture
      • Chemical
      • Construction & Building
      • General Manufacturing
      • HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning)
      • Machinery
      • Machine Tools, Metalworking and Metallurgy
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Paper, Forest Products & Containers
      • Precious Metals
      • Textiles
      • Tobacco
      • View All Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Telecomm­unications

      • Carriers and Services
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Telecommunications Equipment
      • Telecommunications Industry
      • VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Telecomm­unications

  • Lifestyle & Health
      • Consumer Products & Retail

      • Animals & Pets
      • Beers, Wines and Spirits
      • Beverages
      • Bridal Services
      • Cannabis
      • Cosmetics and Personal Care
      • Fashion
      • Food & Beverages
      • Furniture and Furnishings
      • Home Improvement
      • Household, Consumer & Cosmetics
      • Household Products
      • Jewelry
      • Non-Alcoholic Beverages
      • Office Products
      • Organic Food
      • Product Recalls
      • Restaurants
      • Retail
      • Supermarkets
      • Toys
      • View All Consumer Products & Retail

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Health

      • Biometrics
      • Biotechnology
      • Clinical Trials & Medical Discoveries
      • Dentistry
      • FDA Approval
      • Fitness/Wellness
      • Health Care & Hospitals
      • Health Insurance
      • Infection Control
      • International Medical Approval
      • Medical Equipment
      • Medical Pharmaceuticals
      • Mental Health
      • Pharmaceuticals
      • Supplementary Medicine
      • View All Health

      • Sports

      • General Sports
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Sporting Events
      • Sports Equipment & Accessories
      • View All Sports

      • Travel

      • Amusement Parks and Tourist Attractions
      • Gambling & Casinos
      • Hotels and Resorts
      • Leisure & Tourism
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Passenger Aviation
      • Travel Industry
      • View All Travel

  • Policy & Public Interest
      • Policy & Public Interest

      • Advocacy Group Opinion
      • Animal Welfare
      • Congressional & Presidential Campaigns
      • Corporate Social Responsibility
      • Domestic Policy
      • Economic News, Trends, Analysis
      • Education
      • Environmental
      • European Government
      • FDA Approval
      • Federal and State Legislation
      • Federal Executive Branch & Agency
      • Foreign Policy & International Affairs
      • Homeland Security
      • Labor & Union
      • Legal Issues
      • Natural Disasters
      • Not For Profit
      • Patent Law
      • Public Safety
      • Trade Policy
      • U.S. State Policy
      • View All Policy & Public Interest

  • People & Culture
      • People & Culture

      • Aboriginal, First Nations & Native American
      • African American
      • Asian American
      • Children
      • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
      • Hispanic
      • Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual
      • Men's Interest
      • People with Disabilities
      • Religion
      • Senior Citizens
      • Veterans
      • Women
      • View All People & Culture

  • Hamburger menu
  • Cision PRWeb provides efficient communication tools to continuously engage with target audiences across multiple online channels
  • Create a Free Account
    • ALL CONTACT INFO
    • Contact Us


      11AM ET Sunday – 8PM ET Friday

  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • News in Focus
    • Browse All News
    • Multimedia Gallery
  • Business & Money
    • Auto & Transportation
    • Business Technology
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Financial Services & Investing
    • General Business
  • Science & Tech
    • Consumer Technology
    • Energy & Natural Resources
    • Environ­ment
    • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing
    • Telecomm­unications
  • Lifestyle & Health
    • Consumer Products & Retail
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Health
    • Sports
    • Travel
  • Policy & Public Interest
  • People & Culture
    • People & Culture
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR

Robin Hammond Receives 2013 W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund Grant in Humanistic Photography for "Condemned -- Mental Health in African Countries in Crisis"


News provided by

W. Eugene Smith Fund

Oct 16, 2013, 19:00 ET

Share this article

Share toX

Share this article

Share toX

Juba, Sudan January 2011.  Severely mentally disabled men and women are shackled and locked away in Juba Central Prison for years on end. The new nation of South Sudan faces a tremendous challenge to
Juba, Sudan January 2011. Severely mentally disabled men and women are shackled and locked away in Juba Central Prison for years on end. The new nation of South Sudan faces a tremendous challenge to

Hammond's photographs illustrate with a profound force the plight of some of the most vulnerable human beings on earth. -- Ann Thomas, Curator

Post this

New York, NY (PRWEB) October 16, 2013 -- The W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund is pleased to announce that Robin Hammond is the recipient of its 2013 grant in humanistic photography for his project, Condemned - Mental Health in African Countries in Crisis, which documents the mental health crisis throughout Africa. For two years, Hammond visited several regions including South Sudan, Mogadishu, and Somalia, among others, to create awareness about the neglect, abuse, and politics that feed this crisis and provide a voice for those who could not provide one themselves. As recipient of the award, Hammond will receive a $30,000 grant, which he will use to complete this project.

"I can remember the day I picked up a black-and-white photo book about mercury poisoning in a small town in Japan and everything changed for me that day," explains Robin Hammond. "I never knew photos had the ability to move me in such a way, to connect me to people in a faraway place, to sadden and enrage me. That book was called, "Minamata," by W. Eugene Smith.

In addition, the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund awarded Javier Arcenillas a $5,000 grant for Red Note -- Violence in Latin America. Latin America is considered one of the most violent places in the world, with cities like San Pedro Sula, Guatemala, San Salvador, and Mexico City, among the highest for murders and robberies. Unstable government policies and uncontrollable drug trafficking into the U.S. add to problem. Arcenillas spent two months with criminals, victims, and their families, to tell an incredible story of violence, mourning, and fear.

"I cannot express how wonderful it is for my name and my photography to be associated with the name of Eugene Smith," explains Javier Arcenillas, who was unable to attend the award presentations in New York. "I do not recall ever feeling more satisfaction than knowing I belong to an illustrious group of photographers who have been honored with this grant."

This year's Howard Chapnick Grant was presented to FotoKonbit, a non-profit organization that provides photography workshops to Haitian youth and adults. FotoKonbit will use the $5,000 grant to produce a ten-day workshop for a group of Haitian students the organization began working with last year in the fishing village of Labadie. Named after the legendary director of the Black Star Agency, and co-founder of the Smith Fund, the Howard Chapnick Grant, encourages and supports leadership in fields ancillary to photojournalism such as management and education.

Smith grant recipients were selected from entries received from more than 42 countries.

Award recipients presented their work on Wednesday evening to a capacity crowd at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) Theater in New York City. Jon Lee Anderson, staff writer for the New Yorker, gave the keynote presentation. Mr. Anderson has reported from numerous countries for the magazine since 1998 and covered the conflicts in Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Liberia, Somalia, Sudan and others. He is the author of several books, including "Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life," "The Lion's Grave: Dispatches from Afghanistan," and "The Fall of Baghdad." He currently lives in England.

In addition to Anderson's keynote, presentations included “W. Eugene Smith, Myself and Minamata: 1971-2012” with Takeshi Ishikawa sharing his unique collaboration with Smith in post WW II Japan. In addition, Gideon Mendel, a Smith Fund recipient in 1996, gave a special presentation of his ground-breaking work on the AIDS epidemic in Africa, which he was able to complete using his Smith grant.

"Smith Fund 2013 Grant recipient Robin Hammond's Condemned is a powerful look at people balanced on the edge of life who are generally neglected, forgotten and often abused, says Sarah Leen, Senior Editor, Photo Story Development at National Geographic and juror for this year's grant. "His images, often shocking but always tender, highlight this tragedy and search for moments of hope. His work stood out among many worthy candidates including Javier Arcenillas who is receiving the $5,000 Fellowship for his project about violence in Central and South America."

"To document the mental health impact of crises in sub-Saharan Africa for this project, I travelled to war ravaged regions of eastern Congo, South Sudan, Mogadishu, northern Uganda and Liberia and spent time with the displaced in Somalia and Dadaab," Hammond recalls. "I witnessed mental illness caused by horrors experienced and those with mental disabilities from birth. I discovered an entire section of communities abandoned by their governments, forgotten by the aid community, neglected and abused by entire societies; A voiceless minority condemned to lives of quiet misery. The worst was the children - wide eyed with fear, faces aged from never having known the touch of love."

"Robin Hammond takes photographs that bring home with a profound force the plight of some of the most vulnerable human beings on earth: the mentally ill from underprivileged countries," explains Ann Thomas, Curator of Photographs, Nationally Gallery in Ottawa, Canada and juror for the 2013 Smith Grant. "Extremely powerful and sensitively executed, Hammond's images, once seen, are not forgotten. They are testimony to the continuing legacy of Eugene Smith and his belief that we should not turn a blind eye to the suffering of others but by witnessing and recording, and try to bring about change for the better."

Additional finalists in the annual grant awards program for 2013 include, Bharat Choudhary, Edmond Clark, Maxim Dondyuk, Sebastian Liste, Benjamin Lowy, Pierpaolo Mittica, Ebrahim Noroozi, Sim Chi Yin, and Christian Warner.

"Gene Smith was the icon of photojournalism, combining artistry, story-telling and insightful commitment to what pictures can convey," explains Rich Clarkson, head of Rich Clarkson and Associates, longtime Smith Board member and third juror of this year's award entries. "The award was created to both honor Smith and recognize and encourage other talented and dedicated photojournalists to continue their own style of photography while maintaining the deep-rooted integrity Eugene Smith established so many years ago."

Now in its 34th year, the continued interest and demand for photographic grants is a great testament to W. Eugene Smith, a true pioneer in exploring the human condition and exposing the truth with his camera. Established in 1979, its primary purpose is to support and encourage photographers producing humanistic photo stories in the style of the legendary American photojournalist who sought to expose the truth about issues affecting and afflicting humankind.

Cash awarded to recipients of the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund Grants is supported by generous contributions from American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), Anastasia Photo, Canon USA, The Harbers Family Foundation, and Open Society Foundations. Additional Smith Fund support is provided International Center of Photography, MediaStorm, NYC Fotoworks, Photo District News, School of Visual Arts BFA Photography; MFA Photography, Video and Related Media departments and Synergy Communications, Inc.

The 2012 Howard Chapnick Grant is co-sponsored by Rich Clarkson and Associates LLC, NYC FOTOWORKS, and The Harbers Family Foundation.

About The Smith Fund Grant
The Smith Fund Grant is named for the legendary documentary photographer W. Eugene Smith. Now in its 34th year the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund has become the one of the longest standing and most prestigious awards in photojournalism. A grant of $30,000 is given to a photographer to complete a project deemed most worthy by a panel of jurors. This year’s jurors included Rich Clarkson, Ann Thomas, Sarah Leen, and Marcel Saba.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Images are available upon request.

Lou Desiderio, W. Eugene Smith Fund, http://www.smithfund.org, 917-627-0912, [email protected]

Modal title

Abdi Rahman Shukri Ali, 26, has lived in a locked tin shack for two years. He stays with his family in Dadaab in Eastern Kenya, the world’s largest refugee camp, where Somalis.  ©Robin Hammond/Panos
Abdi Rahman Shukri Ali, 26, has lived in a locked tin shack for two years. He stays with his family in Dadaab in Eastern Kenya, the world’s largest refugee camp, where Somalis. ©Robin Hammond/Panos
31-year-old Karina Marlene was gunned down with 6 shots from a taxi in Zone 10 of Guatemala city.  ©Javier Arcenillas
31-year-old Karina Marlene was gunned down with 6 shots from a taxi in Zone 10 of Guatemala city. ©Javier Arcenillas
Citizens cry in the street as shots are fired in the "El Sauce" section of San Pedro Sula.  ©Javier Arcenillas
Citizens cry in the street as shots are fired in the "El Sauce" section of San Pedro Sula. ©Javier Arcenillas
National Ex Mareros tattoos for social in INFHA (Honduras Institute of Child and Family), in Tegucigalpa.  ©Javier Arcenillas
National Ex Mareros tattoos for social in INFHA (Honduras Institute of Child and Family), in Tegucigalpa. ©Javier Arcenillas
Abdi Rahman Shukri Ali, 26, has lived in a locked tin shack for two years. He stays with his family in Dadaab in Eastern Kenya, the world’s largest refugee camp, where Somalis.  ©Robin Hammond/Panos 31-year-old Karina Marlene was gunned down with 6 shots from a taxi in Zone 10 of Guatemala city.  ©Javier Arcenillas Citizens cry in the street as shots are fired in the "El Sauce" section of San Pedro Sula.  ©Javier Arcenillas National Ex Mareros tattoos for social in INFHA (Honduras Institute of Child and Family), in Tegucigalpa.  ©Javier Arcenillas

Contact PRWeb

  • 11AM ET Sunday – 8PM ET Friday
  • Contact Us

About PRWeb

  • About PRWeb
  • Partners
  • Partnership Programs
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Resources

Why PRWeb

  • Why PRWeb
  • How It Works
  • Who Uses It
  • Pricing

Accounts

  • Create a Free Account
  • Log in
  • Contact Us

Do not sell or share my personal information:

  • Submit via [email protected] 
  • Call Privacy toll-free: 877-297-8921

Contact Cision

Products

About

My Services
  • All News Releases
  • Online Member Center
  • ProfNet
Cision Distribution Helpline
888-776-0942
  • Legal
  • Site Map
  • RSS
  • Cookie Settings
Copyright © 2025 Cision US Inc.