Newsha Tavakolian

"I feel strongly about women's issues in the Middle East which is why it is one of the main focus points in my photographs."

Newsha has been working as a photographer in the Iranian press since she was 16. In 2002 she started to work internationally covering Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. Her pictures have been published in Time Magazine, Newsweek, Stern, New York Times Magazine and Newspaper and Le Figaro in France and NRC Handelsblad in The Netherlands. In 2005 she was chosen with nine other women photographers in a special issue in Marie Claire Magazine (US Edition). In 2003 Newsha was runner up in the Picture of the Year award, magazine feature. In 2006 she was selected with 11 other young photographers for the World Press Photo Materclass in Holland. She's represented by Polaris images in New York. In 2006 Newsha was an National Geographic All Roads Photography Program awardee.