EVI MONO AWARDS / EDITION 01 / 2026

Special Jury Mention

The First Moment - Mothers and Their Newborns

A special selection of six photographs recognising the intimate bond between mothers and their children, the beginning of life and the experiences of motherhood across generations.

Selected by suteishi, Tyler and POSTRH.

All photographs are presented with equal distinction, without ranking.

Special Mention

Milk is Home
Ruby van den Brink / The Netherlands

  • Is there a deep human connection then a mother nursing her baby? One woman feeding another When you travel for 48 hours, from Australia to The Netherlands - and your world is upside down, milk is home.

Special Mention

Birth
Soli Moradi / The Netherlands

  • After giving birth naturally, a mother holds her newborn daughter for the first time, with tears in her eyes. She is exhausted, but deeply moved by finally meeting her child.

Special Mention

When a Child Is Born, a Mother Is Born Too
Elena Bratchuk / Russia

  • In that tender touch, there was no need for words—only tears, relief, exhaustion, and a love beyond measure. She looked at the tiny person she had carried beneath her heart, and in that instant, she became someone entirely new.

Special Mention

What We Carry
Sima Choubdarzadeh / Germany

  • She gave birth in Berlin while her mother waited for a visa in Iran. The war made the wait permanent. This photograph was taken in the weeks after - when she was learning to hold her child alone.

Special Mention

The Next Generation
Malihe Gharahcheloo / Iran

  • This image reflects the bond between two generations of women: a mother and her daughter, connected through the most fundamental story of life - birth, care, and continuity. The mother, transformed into the Earth, holds the next generation in her arms, suggesting that every generation inherits not only life, but also the responsibility of carrying it forward. The Earth beneath them becomes a symbol of both origin and future. Through this intimate connection, the image speaks of one story continuing from one generation to the next.

Special Mention

Mother's touch
Rajesh Dhar / India

  • Mother is the kindest person in the world to a child. She acts like a shield and protects her baby from any harm. A mother’s touch is most precious to her baby. When babies cries her touch make him calm down and sleep peacefully.