Diego Ibarra Sánchez

Diego Ibarra Sánchez (Spain, 1982) is a visual journalist and educator based in Lebanon, and a regular contributor to The New York Times since 2012, specializing in long-term projects. Author of the photobook The Phoenician Collapse (2022), with a foreword by Amin Maalouf, he describes his work as “painting with light” in times of violence, blending documentary and poetic approaches.

He began working with The New York Times in Pakistan, where he lived for five years, and has collaborated with international media and organizations. His work focuses on conflicts and humanitarian crises across countries such as Syria, Iraq, Ukraine, Pakistan, and Lebanon, covering major events including the Yazidi genocide and the fall of Mosul’s Caliphate.

The Phoenician Collapse, developed over seven years in Lebanon, received international recognition, including Best Independent Book by the Lucie Foundation. He has also contributed to several collective photobook projects.

His awards include a Pulitzer Prize acknowledgment (2023) with The New York Times for coverage in Ukraine, the 2026 World Press Photo award for his long-term project on how war affects education, POY Asia (2024), NPPA (2025), and a Getty Images Grant. His work has been exhibited worldwide.

A Detail of a hand of a student in a school attacked on August 2012. Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. February 2, 2013. Diego Ibarra Sanchez /MeMo Destroyed schools, murdered teachers, threats, intolerance and hate are crippling the education system in Pakistan as schools are increasingly targeted by violence. The Taliban's violent campaign to stop girls from getting an education was put back in the spotlight when gunmen attacked Malala Yousafzai, a schoolgirl education activist. The attack was just one small piece of a long campaign against the country's education system.

Kiev, Ukraine. July 16th, 2018. Yelena Shevel, a 10-year-old Ukrainian girl, puts on a gas mask during training at Lider summer camp on the outskirts of Kiev. “I think it is important to defend our homeland because if we don’t do it, then Russia will capture Ukraine, and we will become Russia. And that’s bad because we won’t be able to speak, read, and write Ukrainian anymore. When I grow up, I will become a vet doctor.” ©Diego Ibarra Sánchez

Tyre, Southern Lebanon. On June 11, 2024, young Lebanese IDP leaves the 'Peace Art Bus' to get inside the Lebanese National Theater. At the gates, Kassem Istambouli, a well-known Lebanese actor and director, waits to engage the children in artistic pursuits such as theater, storytelling, photography, drawing, and other creative activities. ©Diego Ibarra Sánchez

Volodymyr – Volynskiy July 20th, 2018. Ukrainian kids train on military war exercises at Ranger Camp, a summer children's youth camp for 12 to 17 years old. Ruslan Bormovoy created it in Volodymyr – Volynskiy, near the Poland Border, on 2017. Diego Ibarra Sánchez

aska Mina District, Maidan Wardak Province, Afghanistan. Nov. 12, 2025. Marjah, 10, attends a lesson at an open-air primary school at Maidad Primary School. “I want to study until grade 12 and continue my education,” she said. “I want to become a doctor.” Decades of war, destroyed infrastructure and teacher shortages—worsening since the Taliban’s return to power—have left many schools without buildings or basic resources, threatening the future of an entire generation. ©Diego Ibarra Sánchez

January 27th, 2022. Nasreen, a Syrian mother holds her little sons, Mohamed and Saad, outside her home, while Kurdish special forces search for escaped prisoners and ISIS fighters inside her home. ©Diego Ibarra Sánchez

One-to-one

These sessions are designed for photographers who want to deepen their understanding of their work, refine their visual voice, and strengthen the way their stories come together—whether you’re starting something new, reshaping an existing project, or preparing an application.

We’ll work closely on editing and sequencing, shaping a clear narrative flow, and identifying a visual identity that can support your long-term direction. At the same time, we’ll look at how to develop and focus your projects, and how to position your work in a way that speaks effectively to editors, grants, and institutions. The sessions are both supportive and demanding: a space where you can ask questions, challenge your ideas, and move your work forward with greater clarity and confidence.

In addition to single sessions, a longer 5-session program is also available, designed to follow the development of your photographic project over time and support a more focused refinement of your visual language and storytelling.

€90 · Individual mentoring session (1 hour) with D. I. Sánchez
€400 · Individual mentoring package (5 hours) with D. I. Sánchez

Mentorships

A 10-month online mentorship program led by Diego Ibarra Sánchez is currently in development and has not yet launched. The initiative will be designed to support the full development of long-term storytelling projects, offering structured guidance across research, fieldwork, editing, sequencing, and final dissemination.

Further details, including application dates and selection criteria, will be announced on official channels once the program becomes available.

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