Zanele Muholi Honoured with eThekwini Pride Impact Award 2026
Acclaimed visual activist and photographer Zanele Muholi has been honoured with the eThekwini Pride Impact Award 2026, recognising their outstanding contribution to LGBTQ+ visibility, representation, and empowerment. The award arrives during both Pride Month and South Africa’s Youth Month, highlighting Muholi’s lifelong dedication to using photography and art as powerful tools for education, dignity, and social transformation.
Fresh from receiving the internationally acclaimed Hasselblad Award, regarded as one of photography’s highest honours, Muholi continues to expand the reach of the Muholi Art Institute (MAI). The institute remains committed to making creative education accessible while equipping marginalised communities with the skills needed to tell their own stories through photography.
While celebrations continue across the globe during Pride Month, Muholi is actively working in Salvador, Brazil, leading practical photography workshops for local institutional learners through the Photo XP legacy project. The initiative provides hands-on training designed to empower participants with creative and economic opportunities.
“Winning this award at home is such a humble gesture that simply means I see you, we see you. It is a powerful reminder that our lives, our stories, and our love deserve to be seen, documented, and celebrated without apology.”
said Muholi
Muholi’s influence extends far beyond exhibitions and galleries. Through the Muholi Art Institute, they continue travelling internationally to teach photography to disadvantaged communities, creating opportunities for people who have often been excluded from creative industries and economic participation.
“Teaching photography to disadvantaged communities is the only language I know. When given the right tools and support, this skill becomes more than an art form. It becomes an economic breakthrough, a means of self-representation, and a pathway to sustainable independence.”
Muholi explained
Their work reinforces the belief that visibility is a powerful act of resistance, education is liberation, and authentic storytelling remains essential in challenging discrimination and preserving history. By placing cameras in the hands of queer, Black, and marginalised individuals, Muholi is helping communities document their own experiences while building a more inclusive future.
As South Africa marks Youth Month, the Muholi Art Institute is strengthening its investment in emerging South African photographers through mentorship, training, and international opportunities. These young creatives are developing the confidence and skills to tell stories that challenge stereotypes, inspire social change, and showcase diverse perspectives on the global stage.
The impact of these initiatives continues to grow, with lives transformed through creative education, communities empowered through storytelling, and new voices emerging to shape future narratives of inclusion and equality.
Muholi’s journey as both photographer and educator continues to reach new communities around the world. Through the Muholi Art Institute, their commitment to radical visibility, skills development, and community empowerment remains unwavering, ensuring future generations have the tools to preserve their own histories and celebrate their identities.
Concluding, Muholi reflected on the significance of the recognition:
“This award honours the path we have walked together, but the real measure of our progress lies in the hands of young people across the globe. Through photography education we are not only protecting visibility. We are building a living legacy so that every generation that follows can document their own truths, claim their own power, and ensure that no story like ours is ever erased again.”
