Brazilian Gabriela Biló awarded Gabo Prize for Photography

Brazilian photographer Gabriela Biló has been honored with the Gabo Award for Photography for her powerful series titled 'How Democracies Survive.' The award ceremony took place in Bogotá during the Gabo Festival. Biló's work, published in the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo, meticulously documents the events surrounding the January 8, 2023, attempted coup in Brazil and the subsequent legal proceedings against former President Jair Bolsonaro. The jury, established by Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez's foundation, lauded the series for its clear exposition of Brazil's defense of democracy amidst global democratic backsliding. They highlighted its adherence to high technical and journalistic standards, describing it as a comprehensive examination of a significant and relevant topic. The award specifically recognizes the photographic excellence of a project that critically follows news events and serves to document national affairs for the public. In her acceptance speech, Biló emphasized the fragility of democracy, stating, 'I was born believing that democracy was guaranteed, but I understood that nothing is guaranteed. Only with quality journalism and information can we defend it.' The other finalists in the photography category included Carlos Barrera for 'Here Trump's Deportees Cry in Guatemala,' documenting the forced return of Guatemalan migrants, and Luis Javier Maguiña for 'Those Who Continue to Name,' which chronicles the traces of repression in Peru.

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In the midst of the democratic setbacks that have occurred in the world, Brazil has maintained a defense of democracy that this work clearly exposes. The photographic series not only meets all technical and journalistic standards but achieves a complete work on a relevant topic.