Dominic Nahr named Swiss press photographer of the Year

Scarred by war: Diana Borysenko, 45, tour guide. The people in Ukraine are all 'Scarred by war' in their own way, according to the title of Dominic Nahr's series of images, which won first prize in the Portrait category. Keystone/NZZ photography team

Dominic Nahr, known for his war reportages, is the big winner of the Swiss press photography awards this year. We take a look at some of his work and that of other photographers.

Nahr, 40, was born in Heiden, northeastern Switzerland, grew up in Hong Kong and is based in Zurich as a war reporter and photojournalist.

Photographer Dominic Nahr won the Swiss Press Photographer of the Year Award, as well as the Portrait and Foreign categories. Keystone/Alessandro della Valle

In addition to the title of Swiss Press Photographer of the Year, Nahr also won the Portrait and Foreign categories with his work for the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (an overview of all the work in the competition can be found hereExternal link).

This was for the portrait series “Scarred by war”, taken in Ukraine, and his work on the shocks in Morocco following the devastating earthquake in September 2023. Nahr also took second place in the Foreign category with a photo series from Libya.

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Swiss Press Photo 2024. 1st prize Foreign: Dominic Nahr – Earthquake in Morocco. Residents pray before burying the body of Said Ben Aid in the destroyed mountain village of Adouz with 200 inhabitants, 34 of whom died. The earthquake in Morocco has left a trail of destruction in the small villages in the Atlas Mountains. Hundreds are dead, entire villages and families have been wiped out. Those left behind are desperately fighting for survival. Keystone/NZZ/Dominic Nahr

In the destroyed mountain village of Adouz with 200 inhabitants, 34 of whom have died, people scramble through the debris to search for survivors or the dead. Keystone/NZZ/Dominic Nahr

One-month-old twins lie on blankets after surviving the earthquake. Keystone/NZZ/Dominic Nahr

Climate demonstration, with masks of Credit Suisse bosses, outside the last AGM of Credit Suisse as an independent bank, just a week after its emergency buyout by UBS. Keystone/Le Temps/Mark Henley

‘Crétin Suisse’ chalked on the pavement outside Credit Suisse headquarters on Paradeplatz in Zurich. Keystone/Le Temps/Mark Henley

After the fall. Outside UBS headquarters people look across at Credit Suisse, where there is a small demonstration. Keystone/Le Temps/Mark Henley

The people posing in these pictures live on a campsite on the outskirts of Lausanne. Keystone/Guillaume Perret

The trigger for the sometimes intimate portraits was a work by the photographer on the relationship to one’s own body. Over the course of the year, this resulted in the series ‘Residents’, which is not primarily about nudity, but about freedom. Keystone/Guillaume Perret

The theme is not just the relationship with one’s own body, but freedom and self-determination it itself. Keystone/Guillaume Perret

Swiss Press Photo 2024 – 3rd Prize Abroad: Mario Heller – Spitsbergen – Cut off from the world. Mostly singles live in the two prefabricated buildings in the background. The buildings were renovated a few years ago and clad with colourful façades. Keystone/Mario Heller

After a strenuous shift, miners Alexander Yatsunenko (left) and Alexander Komirko not only sweat the dirt out of their pores but also the thoughts out of their heads. Keystone/Mario Heller

Many of the young residents smoke regularly. The cigarettes are imported from Russia and are very cheap. Smoking is a popular pastime here and an important social lubricant. Keystone/Mario Heller

Swiss Press Photo 2024 – 2nd Prize Everyday Life: Karine Bauzin – Let me die. An old man plans his own death. Keystone/Karine Bauzin

Michel Germond from Lausanne, 82, marked by pain, wants to end his life with the euthanasia organisation Exit. The farewell aperitif is a cheerful affair. Keystone/Karine Bauzin

The former taxi driver sadly bids farewell to his car. Keystone/Karine Bauzin

The legendary motor-paced races, which take place on Tuesdays in good weather during the summer months at the open racecourse in Oerlikon. Keystone/Pascal Mora

Being a pacemaker on a motorbike used to be a purely male affair. Since June 27, Nicole Fry has also been taking part. Keystone/Pascal Mora

As the pacemaker in front of cyclist Martin Ruepp, Fry ensures the right tempo. Keystone/Pascal Mora

1. Prize Portrait – Olena Meshcheryakova, 24, dancer. Keystone/NZZ/Dominic Nahr

1. Prize Portrait – Alexander Juma, 37, soldier. Keystone/NZZ/Dominic Nahr

1. Prize Portrait – Mikola Lasorko, 59, technician. Keystone/NZZ/Dominic Nahr

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The first prize in the Current Affairs category went to Mark Henley, a British-born photographer who lives in Geneva. Henley, who occasionally works for SWI swissinfo.ch, has made a significant contribution to the iconography of Credit Suisse’s decline with his black-and-white photographs.

Guillaume Perret triumphed in the Everyday Life category with his intimate study of a campsite.

Matthieu Zellweger won the Swiss Stories category with his documentation of work in sexual counselling for people with disabilities.

In Sport, first place went to Jonathan Labusch, who used his lens to look at the world of hobby horsing, the equestrian sport with a hobby horse.

Women underrepresented

What is striking is that the first places are all in the hands of men. There are only two women among the winners of the year: Annik Ramp (third place, Swiss Stories) and Karine Bauzin (second place, Everyday Life).

The award ceremony took place on April 26 at the University of Bern as part of the Swiss Press AwardExternal link, which covers other categories such as text, online and video.

The total prize money of CHF140,000 ($154,000) is sponsored by the independent Reinhardt von Graffenried Foundation. The Swiss Press Photo is recognised as the most important photography prize in Switzerland.

You can find more from Dominic Nahr here:

Adapted from German by DeepL/ts