Photographer and participant of the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers Iva Sidash won the main category of the prestigious Ian Parry Photojournalism Grant competition. Her project about civilian life during the war impressed the jury with its poetics and depth. Iva told us about her way to victory, the setup of the competition and gave advice to young photographers.
History of the Ian Parry Photojournalism Grant Competition
The Ian Parry Photojournalism Grant is one of the most prestigious competitions in the world of photojournalism, founded more than 30 years ago in honor of Ian Parry, a British photojournalist who died during the Romanian Revolution at the age of 24. His friend and colleague Aidan Sullivan started the grant to support young photographers who cover complex social and war themes.
“It is a competition that allows photographers up to 25 to participate, but also gives a chance to those who have completed their studies this year. I applied as a student, because I just graduated from the International Center of Photography in New York,” Iva shares.
Victory with the project “Seeing the Unseen“
The main project, with which Iva won, began in August 2024. This is the story of one family living near the Russian border. The heroine of the photo series is Alyona, who independently raises two teenage children.
“This is a story about a woman Alena, who brings up two children herself - 15-year-old Matthew and 13-year-old Ulyana. They live near the Russian border, in conditions of constant danger. Their house was partially destroyed by rocket fire, but they decided to return home after a year of living in Poland as migrants. Alyona not only restores housing, but also tries to return a sense of normal life to her children,” the photographer shares.
The photo series also touches on the theme of displaced people who have returned home after evacuation. “Often we talk about those who left and stayed abroad. But what about those who return? How do they adapt to conditions when their home is no longer the same as it was before? When is the life of the displaced so difficult that they decide to return, despite the fact that the war continues? Why do they make such a decision? These are important questions that are worth exploring,” says Iva.
“I understand it's a difficult topic, but that's why it's so important to me. When I ask Alena what she will do if the Russians go on the offensive again on her village, she answers without hesitation: we will have to leave again. She's ready for it. But while she has a choice, she chooses to rebuild their lives at home. “Being here for me is like being able to breathe,” she says. “I presented myself with a photo series called”Seeing the Unseen“(”Seeing the Unseen“). It's a working title, but it accurately conveys my idea of showing what is often overlooked: civilian life during war. I started this project in August 2024, and submitted it to the competition in September. It is usually advised to submit long-term projects, but I felt that this story was important and should be heard,” says Iva.
The choice of such a topic was not accidental, and the idea of the project matured for a long time. “While studying in New York, I was surprised at how little Western audiences understood our experience of war. I was asked, 'How do you live during the war? How do children go to school? ' For me, these questions were obvious, but I realized that people want to know more. It was then that I decided that I should tell our story through photographs,” explains Iva. “Photography for me is a way of communication. It's not just an image, it's a bridge between the characters and the audience. I want the Western audience to better understand the experience of the civilian population in Ukraine. The audience in Ukraine knows this experience because they live it. But the Western world needs that understanding.”
Contest setup
The Ian Parry Photojournalism Grant competition consisted of several stages: first, participants were selected for the final, then interviewed by the jury.
During an online conversation, the jury told Ivy that they highly appreciated her ability to show war through civilian experience. “I was told that my project has a lot of depth. This is not a straight line photograph that shows only the obvious. I want viewers to see not only pain and loss, but also human resilience, love and the desire to live a normal life at home,” she says.
Her victory brought not only recognition, but also a £10,000 cash grant, professional equipment from Canon to use, a publication in The Guardian and the opportunity to become part of the Ian Parry Family community.
Tips for young photographers from Iva Sidash
Yva shares important lessons that helped her succeed:
- Believe in your project.The most important thing is to believe in what you are presenting. This should be the story you really burn with.
- Submit your strongest work.One weak picture can make all the strong weak.
- Consult with experienced colleagues. A look from the side often reveals what you yourself do not see.
- Be open to the world. The more we open up to the world, the more the world opens up to us.
What's next?
Iva plans to continue her project, observing how Alena's teenage children are formed and how the war affects their lives. “This is a story not only about survival, but also about the struggle for a normal life, about human endurance. I want to show how war affects children as they grow up in these conditions. This is important for understanding what Ukrainians are going through today,” she concludes.
Iva Sidash — documentary photographer from Lviv. He works with personal projects, long-term stories, documentary and reportage photography. Sidash studied documentary practice and visual journalism at the International Center of Photography in New York from 2023—2024 and is a 2024 Women Photograph Program Fellow. In October 2024, she became a participant in the Eddie Adams Workshop, where she received the Chris Gondros Award. Her work has been published in The Atlantic Magazine, INSIDER, The Financial Times, The Fisheye Magazine, Der Spiegel, Forbes and other publications. Iva's photographs have been featured in exhibitions in the United States and Europe, including the solo exhibitions “The Wall — Witness to the War in Ukraine” in Wisconsin (October 2023) and San Diego, California (April 2024). InstagramYves.
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Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vera Labych
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