Photographer and member of the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers Iva Sidash won in the main category of the prestigious Ian Parry Photojournalism Grant. Her project about civilian life during the war impressed the jury with its poetry and depth. Iva told us about her path to victory, the behind-the-scenes of the competition, and gave advice to young photographers.
History of the Ian Parry Photojournalism Grant
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 established the grant to support young photographers who cover complex social and wartime issues.
“This is a competition that allows photographers under 25 to participate, but also gives a chance to those who graduated this year. I applied as a student, since I had just finished my studies at the International Center of Photography in New York,” — shares Iva.
Victory with the project “Seeing the Unseen”
The main project with which Iva won began in August 2024. It is the story of a family living near the Russian border. The heroine of the photo series is Aliona, who is raising two teenage children on her own.
“This is a story about a woman named Aliona, who is raising two children on her own — 15-year-old Matvii and 13-year-old Uliana. They live near the Russian border, in conditions of constant danger. Their house was partially destroyed during a missile strike, but they decided to return home after a year of living in Poland as displaced persons. Aliona is not only rebuilding the home, but also trying to restore a sense of normal life for her children,” — shares the photographer.
The photo series also raises the issue of displaced people who returned home after evacuation. “We often talk about those who left and stayed abroad. But what about those who come back? How do they adapt to conditions when their home is no longer the same as it was before? When life as displaced persons is so difficult that they decide to return, even though the war continues? Why do they make such a decision? These are important questions that should be explored,” — notes Iva.
“I understand that this is a difficult subject, but that is exactly why it is so important to me. When I ask Aliona what she would do if the Russians launched another offensive on her village, she answers without hesitation: she would have to leave again. She is prepared for that. But as long as she has a choice, she chooses to rebuild their life at home. ‘Being here for me is like being able to breathe,’ she says. — I applied with a photo series called ‘Seeing the Unseen.’ This is a working title, but it accurately conveys my idea of showing what often remains unnoticed: civilian life during the war. I started this project in August 2024, and by September I had already submitted it to the competition. Usually, people advise applying with long-term projects, but I felt that this story was important and needed to be heard,” — says Iva.
The choice of such a theme was not accidental, and the idea of the project had been maturing for a long time.
“During my studies in New York, I was surprised at how little the Western audience understands our experience of war. People asked me: ‘How do you live during the war? How do children go to school?’ For me, these questions were obvious, but I realized that people wanted to know more. That was when I decided I had to tell our story through photography,” — explains Iva. — “Photography for me is a way of communication. It is not just an image, it is a bridge between the subjects and the viewers. I want the Western audience to better understand the experience of civilians in Ukraine. The audience in Ukraine knows this experience because they live it. But the Western world needs this understanding.”
Behind the scenes of the competition
The Ian Parry Photojournalism Grant competition consisted of several stages: first, participants were selected for the finals, and then interviews with the jury were conducted.
During the online conversation, the jury told Iva that they highly appreciated her ability to show the war through civilian experience. “They told me that my project stands out for its depth. It is not straightforward photography 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.
Advice for young photographers from Iva Sidash
Iva shares important lessons that helped her achieve success:
- Believe in your project. The most important thing is to believe in what you are submitting. It has to be a story you are truly passionate about.
- Submit only your strongest works. Even a single weak photograph can undermine the impact of the entire series.
- Consult with experienced colleagues. An outside perspective often reveals what you yourself do not see.
- Be open to the world. The more we open ourselves to the world, the more the world opens itself to us.
What's next?
Iva plans to continue her project, observing how Aliona’s teenage children grow 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 the war impacts children, how they mature under these conditions. This is important for understanding what Ukrainians are going through today,” — she concludes.
Iva Sidash is a documentary photographer from Lviv. She works on personal projects, long-term stories, documentary, and reportage photography. Sidash studied documentary practices and visual journalism at the International Center of Photography in New York in 2023–2024 and is a recipient of the Women Photograph 2024 fellowship. In October 2024, she participated in the Eddie Adams Workshop, where she received the Chris Hondros Award. Her works have been published in The Atlantic Magazine, INSIDER, The Financial Times, The Fisheye Magazine, Der Spiegel, Forbes, and other outlets. Iva’s photographs have been exhibited in the United States and Europe, including solo exhibitions “The Wall – Witness to the War in Ukraine” in Wisconsin (October 2023) and San Diego, California (April 2024).
Iva’s Instagram.
Contributors to the material:
Researcher and author of the text: Vira Labych
Photo editor: Olga Kovalova
Literary editor: Yulia Futei
