Maya Goded Wins W. Eugene Smith Award

Maya Goded from Veracruz, Mexico, has won the 22nd annual W. Eugene Smith Award for her work on prostitutes in Mexico City.

The W. Eugene Smith Grant in Humanistic Photography, which was increased to $30,000 this year, is given to photographers who demonstrate a commitment to documenting the human condition. Secondary scholarships of $2,500 each were given to Nikolaus Geyer of Berlin, Germany, and Scott Houston of New York, New York. The awards were given out at a ceremony at the International Center of Photography in New York City on October 22. The grants give photojournalists financial freedom to carry out major photographic studies.

Goded started her project ? "The Neighborhood of Solitude: Prostitutes of Mexico City" ? five years ago to show how her subjects' experiences "speak about women, about inequality, transgression, about the body and sex, about maternity, childhood and old age, about beliefs, love and unloving." She plans to use the money to continue documenting the prostitutes of La Merced, a neighborhood in Mexico City, and to follow them as they travel to Tijuana and New York.

Geyer was recognized for "The Journey to Jerusalem," his essay exploring the shifting political power in the Middle East. Houston won for his work on "The Ecstasy Generation," in which he documents the club scene and the drug's effects.

At the same ceremony, New York photographer Zana Briski was awarded the sixth Howard Chapnick Grant for Advancement of Photojournalism, given in honor of Howard Chapnick of Black Star. Briski will use the grant to continue photo workshops for the children of prostitutes in Sonagachi, India. She started teaching the children photography when she noticed that they were fascinated by her camera. She plans to raise money by producing a book and exhibition of their work.

Applications are being accepted for both awards. The deadline for the W. Eugene Smith Grant is July 15, 2002. Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope with an application request to the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund, c/o International Center of Photography, 1133 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036. Or go to www.smithfund.org and www.nikon.com. Howard Chapnick Grant applications are due July 15, 2002, and may be obtained by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Howard Chapnick Grant, c/o Yukiko Launois, 125 East 87th Street, New York, NY 10028.