Photojournalism 1st place winner

Nepal was hit by two powerful earth quakes on 25th April and 12th May 2015. 14 districts in the central part of the country were affected. 9000 people were killed, many more injured and nearly half a million homes and buildings were completely or partly destroyed. Since then women, children and men from ethnic groups in the plains and hilly districts have been working producing millions of new bricks for the rebuilding of the affected areas.

The response from government institutions and officials have since the earth quakes been criticised for being slow, bureaucratic and ineffective. In the aftermath of the earth quakes, families, friends, neighbours and young volunteers helped in the recovery.

The photographer experienced both earth quakes in Nepal.

Jan Møller Hansen (b. 1964) is a self-taught photographer, who works with visual story telling and social documentary. He has undertaken documentary photography work in Bangladesh, Nepal and South Sudan, where he lived and worked as a senior diplomat, and development/humanitarian aid specialist.

Jan Møller Hansen has won first and second prices for his documentary and photojournalistic work in the International Photographer Awards, La Grande Photography Awards, Fine Art Photography Awards, Monochrome Photography Awards, Neutral Density Photography Awards, Monovisions and other competitions. In 2015, he published the book ”Images of Nepal”, Jagadamba Press, and was recognised as the IPA People Photographer of the Year 2015.

His visual stories and documentary photography work focus on the lives and conditions of poor, marginalised and stigmatised people, living with conflict, displacement, insecurity, injustice, inequality and corruption. All his photography projects share a profound interest in human rights, dignity and the belief that everyone has the right to be recognised as a human being, regardless of social background, family relations, or