New York Times photojournalist and USW graduate is a Pulitzer Prize-winner

Photojournalist Ivor Prickett, who graduated from USW in 2006, is part of a New York Times team that has been awarded the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting.

Ivor and the team were recognised for their powerful coverage of the civil the war in Sudan, which has been described by the UN as ‘the largest displacement crisis on Earth’.

Ivor, who is originally from County Cork, Ireland, studied Documentary Photography at the former University of Wales Newport, and shortly after graduating, moved to London where he worked as a freelance photographer. In 2009 he relocated to the Middle East, photographing conflict and the aftermath of war.

Travelling to more than 10 countries between 2012 and 2015, Ivor documented the Syrian refugee crisis, working closely with UNHCR to produce a comprehensive study of the greatest humanitarian crisis in recent history, entitled ‘Seeking Shelter’.

Since 2016 he has worked exclusively for the New York Times, documenting the fight to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria, and more recently the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Ivor’s work has been recognised through a number of awards including The World Press Photo, Prix Pictet, Pictures of the Year International, and The Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize, among many more.

His pictures have been exhibited widely at the Victoria and Albert Museum, Sothebys, Foam Gallery, Collezione Marmotti and The National Portrait Gallery in London.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning team was led by Declan Walsh, Chief Africa Correspondent at the New York Times, with the jury describing their work as a ‘revelatory investigation of the conflict in Sudan, including reporting on foreign influence and the lucrative gold trade fuelling it, and chilling forensic accounts of the Sudanese forces responsible for atrocities and famine’.

On winning the prize, Ivor said: “It’s an incredible honour to be recognised in this way, along with my colleagues. We were some of the first Western journalists to get into Sudan after the war had started, and were able to work on some pretty compelling stories.

“The Pulitzer is the highest prize you can get from a jury and board of your peers in the industry, so it’s a great feeling. I was also glad that the story itself got recognised, because one of the hardest things about covering the war has been getting people to pay attention. So to give it this extra spotlight, alongside all of the other ways we try to reach people, was further recognition of that.

“Covering the events of a war is a very strange process, and one that I take very seriously, because very often you’re dealing with vulnerable people; people caught in extreme situations, suffering horrors in the midst of war, so you have to treat them and the situation with the utmost respect.

“But at the same time, in such dangerous moments, you don’t always have the time you would like to speak to people at length. Essentially, whenever I approach people and photograph them in an intimate setting, I’ll always talk to them first and hear their story, and ask them for permission to take their picture, where possible.

 “My time studying Documentary Photography at Newport was instrumental in everything I have gone on to do in my career. My education there, under the likes of Ken grant and Clive Landen, shaped the way in which I understand photography and most importantly instilled in me a thoughtful and ethical approach to documentary photography.

“I will always remember my time at Newport as some of the most enlightening and challenging years of my learning journey, and I credit them with giving me the tools to go and do all that I have done.”

David Barnes, Course Leader for Documentary Photography at USW, added: “We are very proud of Ivor’s success, which is a testament to his significant commitment and skill as a photojournalist. Our course remains at the cutting edge of teaching photojournalism and documentary, and our alumni enjoy an unparalleled level of recognition in the industry.”