Mads Nissen (born November 17, 1979) is a Danish documentary photographer and winner of 2015 and 2021
World Press Photo of the Year
The World Press Photo of the Year award is part of the World Press Photo Awards, organized by the Dutch foundation World Press Photo.
Considered one of the most prestigious and coveted awards in photojournalism, the World Press Photo of the Ye ...
and 2023 World Press Photo Story of the Year.
Life and work
Nissen was born on November 17, 1979, in
Hobro
Hobro () is an old market and railway town in Region Nordjylland on the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. It has a population of 12,360 (1 January 2025). The town is situated in a hilly terrain at the head of Mariager Fjord, close to the f ...
, Denmark. He completed his studies with distinction at the
Danish School of Journalism
Danish School of Media and Journalism (), or DMJX for short, is a Danish organization for higher education in, and a knowledge centre of, media and journalism. DMJX has two campuses; one in Copenhagen and one in Aarhus.
In 2004, DMJX and Aarhus U ...
in 2007.
From 2004 to 2006 he worked as a staff photographer for the Danish newspaper ''
Politiken
''Politiken'' is a leading Danish daily broadsheet newspaper, published by JP/Politikens Hus in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was founded in 1884 and played a role in the formation of the Danish Social Liberal Party. Since 1970 it has been indepe ...
'', and subsequently as a freelance
photojournalist
Photojournalism is journalism that uses images to tell a news story. It usually only refers to still images, but can also refer to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (suc ...
for ''
Newsweek
''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...
'', ''
Time
Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'', ''
Der Spiegel
(, , stylized in all caps) is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of about 724,000 copies in 2022, it is one of the largest such publications in Europe. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...
'', ''
Stern
The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. O ...
'' and ''
The Sunday Times
''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
''.
He moved to Shanghai, China (2007-2008) to document the human and social consequences of China's historic economic rise. Since 2014 he has worked as a staff photographer at the Danish daily Politiken, a newspaper internationally praised for its strong commitment to visual journalism. In addition to Politiken, his images have been published in Time, Newsweek, CNN, National Geographic, The Guardian, Stern, Der Spiegel and many publications.
He frequently gives lectures and workshop and has had solo-exhibitions across Europe and Latin America in such places as The Nobel Peace Center (Norway), The National Museum (Colombia), GAF (Germany), Frederiksborg Slot (Denmark) and Festival dela Fotografia Etica (Italy).
In 2015, his photograph of two gay men in St Petersburg, from a series on homophobia in Russia, was selected as World Press Photo of the Year.
In 2021 he was nominated for the prize once again. In 2018 he was named ‘Photographer of the Year’ for the third time in Denmark. He has also twice been shortlisted as ‘Photographer of the Year’ at the Pictures of the Year International Award (POYi).
Nissen has published three photo books: ''The Fallen'' (People's Press), ''Amazonas'' (Gyldendal) and most recently ''We are Indestructible'' (GOST). This book provides a glimpse of the multi-layered seams of Colombia's past, present and future and is the culmination of many years of work in the country. It provides a portrait of a war-torn country navigating the complexities of newfound peace after more than 50-years of conflict.
Publications
Books of work by Nissen
* ''The Fallen''. Berlingske Media Forlag / Peoples, 2010. .
* ''Amazonas.'' Gyldendal, 2013. .
* ''We are Indestructible''. GOST, 2018. .
Books with contributions by Nissen
* ''A New Documentary.''
The Manuel Rivera-Ortiz Foundation for Documentary Photography & Film, 2013. .
Awards
*2006: Third Prize (with two others), Days Japan International Photojournalism Awards.
*2007: Third Prize, Days Japan International Photojournalism Awards.
* 2007: Winner of the Scanpix-award and grant; Best bachelor project - Danish School of Journalism
* 2007: Danish Press Photo of the Year, Best Photo of the Year
* 2010: Picture of the Year: Issue Reporting Picture Story, Third Prize
* 2010: Picture of the Year: Photographer of the Year, Second Prize
* 2010: Danish Press Photo of the Year, News Picture of the Year, First Prize
* 2010: Danish Press Photo of the Year, Best Foreign News Picture story, First Prize
* 2010: Danish Press Photo of the Year, Best Foreign Picture Story, First Prize
* 2010: Danish Press Photo of the Year, Photographer of the Year
*2011:
Manuel Rivera-Ortiz Foundation Photography Grant.
* 2011: Best Of Photojournalism, Best Published Picture Story, Second Prize
* 2011: Danish Press Photo of the Year, Best Multimedia, First Prize
* 2011: World Press Photo, Daily Life Picture Story, Third Prize, for a Libyan fighter standing on a burning tank.
* 2012: Picture of the Year: News Picture Story, Second Prize
* 2012: Danish Press Photo of the Year, Best Foreign News Picture story, First Prize
* 2012: Danish Press Photo of the Year, Best Foreign Picture story, First Prize
* 2012: Danish Press Photo of the Year, Best Photo of the Year
* 2012: Danish Press Photo of the Year, Photographer of the Year
* 2014: Danish Press Photo of the Year, Best Foreign News Picture story, First Prize
* 2014: Picture of the Year: Issue Reporting Picture Story, Third Prize
* 2015: Picture of the Year: Feature Story, Third Prize
* 2015: Best Of Photojournalism, Portrait and Personality, First Prize
* 2015: Best Of Photojournalism, International News Picture Story, First Prize
* 2015: Best Of Photojournalism, Photojournalist of the Year (large markets), Third Prize
* 2015: World Press Photo, Contemporary Issues, Single, First Prize
* 2015: World Press Photo, Picture of the Year
References
External links
*
Mads Nissen – World Press Photo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nissen, Mads
1979 births
Living people
21st-century Danish photographers
Danish journalists
Danish photographers
Documentary photographers
People from Hobro