Feature Photography

Honors the use of photography in a feature story, photo-essay or photo portfolio

Stefano Tonchi, Editor in Chief
“Cate,” photographs by Cass Bird, Rineke Dijkstra, Dominique Issermann, Shirin Neshat, Jackie Nickerson, Sharna Osborne, Alex Prager, Viviane Sassen and Sam Taylor-Johnson
Volume 5 The guest editor of the issue in which this portfolio appeared, Cate Blanchett is the victim in a murder mystery . . . an object of desire . . . a mom in her backyard—in photographs shot completely by women and featuring clothes designed by women. The judges in this category said that thanks to the creativity and execution of this ambitious package, art directors and photo editors will keep it as a reference for years to come. They may already have several copies of W on their shelves—this is the magazine’s eighth National Magazine Award in a photography category. Will Welch, Editor in Chief
“Three Days in Dakar,” photographs by Fann y Latour-Lambert
August 7, Fall This beautifully executed fashion feature—captured over the course of 72 hours with no set, no crew and a shoestring budget—is a true love letter to Dakar and its people. Susan Goldberg, Editor in Chief
“Frenzy,” photographs by Laurent Ballesta
May National Geographic spent 24 consecutive hours underwater in French Polynesia with a rig of 32 synchronized cameras, capturing a life-and-death dance between reef sharks and marbled grouper. Adam Moss, Editor in Chief
“The Class of 1946-2018,” photographs by Michael Avedon
October 29–November 11 New York revealed the physical and emotional scars of school-shooting survivors in these spare, respectful black-and-white images by Michael Avedon. Jason Fine, Editor
“The Survivors,” photographs by Patrick Brown
August In these jarring, poignant photographs of Myanmar’s Rohingya refugees, Rolling Stone captured not only the pain but the determination and hope of a tortured people.