BRIGHTON.- This September, POST, Brighton & Hove’s new photography centre, will host a special weekend celebrating the vital contributions of women in documentary photography from around the world. Facilitated by FotoDocument and supported by Nikon, the event marks a major milestone: the tenth anniversary of the internationally acclaimed Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award.
Running from Friday 18 September to Sunday 20 September 2026, the comprehensive programme brings together global photography pioneers, rising stars, and industry experts.
The weekend kicks off on Friday evening with an artist talk and the exhibition launch of When the Earth Gives Birth by the newly announced 2026 Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award Winner, Johanna Alarcón.
Throughout the weekend, visitors can immerse themselves in a decade of groundbreaking visual storytelling through a retrospective exhibition featuring highlights from 10 years of award-winning projects. Alongside this, a dedicated display will showcase the iconic photographs and books of the late, renowned twentieth-century photographer and the Award's eponymous heroine, Marilyn Stafford.
"We are thrilled to bring together such an extraordinary lineup of women to celebrate a decade of the Marilyn Stafford FotoReportage Award and to our city; and Marilyn’s adopted home town, she would be thrilled to see this all coming to fruition," said Nina Emett, Director, FotoDocument and co-director POST, "By showcasing the visionary work of artists like Johanna Alarcón alongside pioneers like Marilyn Stafford, this weekend not only honors the past ten years of impactful storytelling but also fosters the next generation of women shaping contemporary documentary photography."
Programme Highlights Include:
• Exclusive Screening: The premiere trailer screening of the forthcoming documentary about Marilyn Stafford, followed by a Q&A with director Ellie Emptage of Tara Films.
• Artist Talks & Panels: Insights from Natalya Saprunova (2022 Award Winner), alongside long-standing jury members and legendary documentary photographers Andrea Bruce and Donna DeCesare. A dedicated panel discussion will explore the current landscape and role of women in contemporary documentary photography and will include Andrea Bruce, Donna DeCesare, Laura El-Tantawy and Neo Ntsoma.
• Book Launch: A special talk and book signing with acclaimed documentary photographer Carol Allen-Storey, presented by GOST Books.
• Professional Development: Hands-on Nikon workshops and professional portfolio reviews for students and recent graduates on Sunday with Nikon Ambassador Carolyn Mendelsohn.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, Marilyn Stafford’s photographic career was accidentally launched in New York in 1948 when she was asked to photograph Albert Einstein by friends making a film about him.
From there on, her photography took her across the world, starting in Paris in 1950. There her friendship and guidance by Magnum founders Robert Capa and Henri Cartier-Bresson shaped her work.
In 1958 Stafford travelled to Tunisia to document the plight of Algerian refugees fleeing France’s ‘scorched earth’ aerial bombardment in the Algerian War of Independence. While completing commissions for a number of Paris fashion houses she also photographed children living in one of the city’s worst slum neighbourhoods, Cite Lesage-Bullourde.
In the early 1960s Stafford traveled widely in Lebanon photographing the everyday lives of the Lebanese people and to India in 1971 where she documented the country’s only woman Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, and her involvement in the Bangladesh Liberation War.
She settled in England in the mid-sixties, where she was one of only a handful of women photographers working on Fleet Street. Stafford’s work spans from 1948-1980 covering a range of subjects including refugees, tribal peoples, international fashion and prominent historical figures including Edith Piaf, Lee Marvin, Sir Richard Attenborough, Joanna Lumley, Sir Alan Bates.
