Ezra Acayan is a documentary photographer based in Manila covering politics, religion, and issues concerning human rights. Since 2019, he has regularly worked on assignment for Getty Images. His work includes documentary reportage on the suffering and abuse experienced by communities In 2017 he was awarded a special merit at the Human Rights Press Awards for multimedia reporting on the drug war. In 2018 he received grants from both the Ian Parry Scholarship and the Lucie Foundation, as well as being named Young Photographer of the Year at the Istanbul Photo Awards. In 2019, he received a World Press Photo Award in the Spot News category. His work—along with work by other journalists who cover the drug war—has been exhibited in Geneva for three straight years at the United Nations Human Rights Council. It has also been exhibited at the Foreign Correspondents Club in Thailand (FCCT), in France during the Prix-Bayeux Calvados Award for War Correspondents, in Sarajevo during the WARM Festival, and in Germany during the Lumix Festival for Young Photojournalism. Locally, his work is shown regularly in galleries, schools, and churches. He has done work for various outfits such as Getty Images, Reuters, European Pressphoto Agency, and Agence France-Presse. He has also done work for institutions such as the World Bank, Agence Française de Développement, and the African Development Bank; and for NGOs such as Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe, Care International, and the French Red Cross.
