In 2023, María Corina Machado won the opposition primaries to face Nicolás Maduro in the presidential elections. When the Supreme Court of Justice upheld her disqualification in January 2024, it endorsed former ambassador Edmundo González Urrutia as the opposition candidate. Machado continued to lead her party in support of González’s campaign, using the roof of…
Every morning, open boats depart from the Panamanian port of Miramar, transporting Venezuelan adults and several children back to their country. Their plan to reach the United States was thwarted by immigration restrictions imposed during Donald Trump’s administration. Miramar, a tiny coastal town of just 200 inhabitants in the province of Colón, has become an…
Over the last decade, the Darién Gap has been one of the most dangerous migration routes in the world due to the difficult terrain, the illegal armed groups operating there, and the sexual violence perpetrated against many of these people. Since the pandemic began in 2020, thousands of people have risked their lives in this…
Record flooding in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul caused devastation and affected the local population, displacing more than 600,000 people. Families lost their homes, their possessions, and their livelihoods. According to state authorities, 183 people lost their lives. In total, 2.39 million residents were affected by the floods, which caused significant human…
The Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) — a mega-prison that houses inmates of El Salvador’s three major gangs, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), Barrio 18 Revolucionarios and Barrio 18 Sureños– is the largest prison in the Western Hemisphere. Built in a record-breaking span of 6 months, this maximum security prison can house forty-thousand inmates, part of the war-on-gangs…
Between 2023 and 2025, Brazil faced environmental, social, and cultural crises that exposed the vulnerability of its populations. In Rio Grande do Sul, intense rains caused the greatest climatic tragedy in the state’s history: rivers overflowed, millions were left homeless, 184 people died, and the damages reached R$ 88.9 billion, revealing the urgency of measures…
What the Jury Said About the Finalist, Cristina Sille · Photographer of the Year 2025 The following text is drawn —from the public transcript of the POY Latam 2025 judging— from the reflections of the jurors on the portfolio of Cristina Sille, finalist for Photographer of the Year. Individual names are not cited, but the…
“Pain Everyplace” is my work portfolio over the past two years. I have particularly focused on documenting human rights violations and challenges to democracy in various contexts, with a special emphasis on migrant, displaced, and the most vulnerable populations. My reports combine social chronicle and documentary portrait, aiming to dignify the people portrayed and rescue…
What the Jury Said About the Winner, Rodrigo Abd · Photographer of the Year 2025 The following text is drawn —from the public transcript of the POY Latam 2025 judging— from the ideas and comments expressed by the jurors as they deliberated on the winning portfolio of Rodrigo Abd. Individual names are not cited, but…
On October 29, 2024, Spain suffered one of the worst floods in its history, with more than 228 fatalities. Towns in the province of Valencia woke up covered in mud and debris. Bridges, roads, and railway lines were destroyed, and thousands of cars were swept away by the torrent of water. In the most affected…