Kiana Hayeri

Artist, Brainstormer, Concerned citizen, Explorer, Foodie, Idea generator, Journalist, Photographer, World traveler

Kiana Hayeri (b.1988) grew up in Tehran, Iran, and moved to Toronto as a teenager. She took up photography to bridge cultural and linguistic gaps. In 2014, she moved to Kabul, staying for eight years. Her work often explores migration, adolescence, identity, and sexuality in conflict zones. Kiana has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Tim Hetherington Visionary Award (2020), the James Foley Award for Conflict Reporting (2020), the Robert Capa Gold Medal (2021), and the Leica Oskar Barnack Award (2022), the Carmignac Photojournalism Award (2024). She was part of The New York Times team that won The Hal Boyle Award (2022) and was shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting. In 2024, she published a photobook “When Cages Fly” which was shortlisted for Rencontres d’Arles Author Book Award, IPA Photobook Awards and a finalist for Lucie Photoook Award, APhF Pick:24 Book Award. Kiana is laureate of the 14th Carmignac Photojournalism Award. Kiana is a TED fellow, a National Geographic Explorer grantee, and a regular contributor to The New York Times. She is currently based in Sarajevo, covering stories from Afghanistan, the Balkans, and beyond.

Stories and storytelling, from those lands that are out of reach, those lands that are ravaged by conflict and yet have remained in the shadow. I'm also a food nerd!

The consequence of a single narrative of war is this: it robs people of their dignity. While I have covered the front line and the dramatic events of war on assignments, I stay behind when I can, to capture a different narrative of conflict by illustrating everyday life.

Afghanistan, Conflict, Documentary, Iran, Journalist, Mental Health, Migration, Peace building, Photojournalist, Videography, Visual Storyteller

https://ideas.ted.com/a-rare-intimate-look-at-the-lives-of-single-mothers-in-afghanistan/ https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/photographer-gives-an-inside-look-at-the-fall-of-kabul

Cross-cultural and improvised cooking and a gastro-science nerd.