Anna Mia Davidson Wins 2026 CENTER Socially Engaged Award for 'American Muslim'
Anna Mia Davidson has been honored with the 2026 CENTER Socially Engaged Award for her project 'American Muslim,' which showcases a photographic series that combines portraits of American Muslim women with accompanying interview texts. The award, judged by Jeffrey Henson Scales from The New York Times, highlights work focused on social issues. Henson Scales commended the initiative for its ability to foster cross-cultural dialogue and combat increasing Islamophobia. Launched following the 2017 U.S. Muslim Ban, the project features women expressing their varied passions and aspirations for acknowledgment. Based in Seattle, Davidson, a Jewish American photographer, seeks to connect Jewish and Muslim women and challenge prevailing stereotypes. The award also provides opportunities for professional growth and participation in Review Santa Fe, a group exhibition. Her photographs are produced as 36″ x 42″ archival pigment prints.
Key facts
- Anna Mia Davidson received the 2026 CENTER Socially Engaged Award for her project 'American Muslim'.
- The award recognizes work addressing social issues and includes Review Santa Fe participation, a group exhibition at CENTER, publication in LENSCRATCH, professional development seminars, inclusion in the printed program guide, and the winners gallery and archive.
- Jeffrey Henson Scales, Photography Editor at The New York Times, served as the juror.
- The project 'American Muslim' features color photographic portraits of American Muslim women paired with their own words about how they wish to be seen.
- The work was initiated after the 2017 U.S. Muslim Ban and aims to challenge negative stereotypes and promote social change.
- Davidson is a Jewish American freelance photographer based in Seattle, Washington.
- Her photographs are archival pigment prints sized 36″ x 42″.
- Davidson has documented Cuban society since 1999 and was sponsored by the Blue Earth Alliance.
Entities
Artists
- Anna Mia Davidson
- Jeffrey Henson Scales
Institutions
- CENTER
- LENSCRATCH
- Review Santa Fe
- The New York Times
- Blue Earth Alliance
- University of Colorado
- Vanity Fair
- Christian Science Monitor
- Associated Press
- Reader's Digest
- AARP
- The International Herald Tribune
- New York University
Locations
- Seattle
- Washington
- United States
- Cuba
- Oakland
- Middle East