logo

Life in Balance

In Africa’s largest slum, young ballerinas train in makeshift spaces, defying poverty and climate change. Amid floods, disease, and rising heat, dance becomes their hope, resistance, and resilience—a fight for a brighter future.

Awards

Photographer of the Year Contest

2025

Nominee

Storytelling

Professional

Life in Balance

In Africa’s largest slum, young ballerinas train in makeshift spaces, defying poverty and climate change. Amid floods, disease, and rising heat, dance becomes their hope, resistance, and resilience—a fight for a brighter future.

About Artist

Mauro De Bettio

Mauro De Bettio is an internationally recognized photographer and storyteller whose work captures the heart and soul of some of the most remote and complex corners of the world. Driven by passion and guided by an unwavering commitment to telling the stories of those who often go unheard, Mauro’s journey has taken him to places of breathtaking beauty, raw reality, and intense emotion. Among his most significant works are his powerful documentation of acid attack survivors in Bangladesh, the brutal reality inside Manila’s prisons, the stark contrasts of life in Afghanistan, the dreams of ballerinas in Africa's largest slum, the struggles of sex workers in Asia’s biggest slum. His work is a dedication to giving voice to the voiceless and an unwavering commitment to showcasing the beauty and suffering of our shared existence. In 2021, Mauro De Bettio founded the Malaika Foundation, driven by his deep desire to give back to the communities that inspired his work. The foundation aims to support food, healthcare, and create opportunities for brighter futures.

Mauro De Bettio

Photographic Areas of Focus

People, People, Photojournalism, Photojournalism, Portrait, Travel

Location

Italy

Explore Other Winners

View All
Nominee +1
Susanne Bartels

Susanne Bartels

Street

Honorable Mention
Nominee
John Martinotti

John Martinotti

Portrait

Nominee
Keith Gerard Bovair

Keith Gerard Bovair

Storytelling

Nominee
Sara Camporesi

Sara Camporesi

Storytelling

logo

Contests

Info

FAQ & RulesTerms of UsePrivacy Policy

Links

Facebook

Instagram

Contact Us

© Creative Resource Collective, LLC 2025. All Rights Reserved.

1839 Awards is managed by Creative Resource Collective, LLC.

Learn More

Creative Resource Collective, LLC.