ICP Infinity Awards to Honor Ming Smith, Joyce Cowin, Ariella Aïsha Azoulay, Poulomi Basu, and Zora J Murff 

39th Annual Infinity Awards Fundraising Gala Takes Place on March 28 in New York City 

Image by Ming Smith

NEW YORK, NY (JANUARY 10, 2023) — The International Center of Photography (ICP), the world’s leading museum and school dedicated to photography and visual culture, today announced the 2023 honorees of its annual Infinity Awards, the leading honor for excellence in the field. The 39th annual ICP Infinity Awards will be held on the evening of Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at Ziegfeld Ballroom (141 West 54th Street, New York City). The event is ICP’s largest fundraiser and benefits its full range of education and exhibition programs.  

“ICP’s annual Infinity Awards celebrates the vision of talented photographers who create images that alter how we see and act in the world,” said David E. Little, Executive Director of ICP. “These photographers conjure compelling, lasting, and important images that stand out among the billions made every year. In the spirit of ICP’s focus on political and social concern, we are proud to acknowledge the winners not only for their daily work as dedicated practicing artists, but for their commitment to making images with the potential to inspire transformation.” 

 2023 Infinity Award Categories and Recipients: 

• Lifetime Achievement: Ming Smith 

• Contemporary Photography and New Media: Poulomi Basu 

• Critical Writing, Research, and Theory: Ariella Aïsha Azoulay 

• Documentary Practice and Visual Journalism: Zora J Murff 

• Trustees Award: Joyce Cowin 

The 2023 Infinity Award honorees in the Contemporary Photography & New Media, Critical Writing, Research & Theory, and Documentary Practice & Visual Journalism categories were chosen by a selection committee composed of Isolde Brielmaier, Deputy Director of the New Museum and Guest Curator at ICP; Helen Molesworth, writer and curator; Makeda Best, Richard L. Menschel Curator of Photography at Harvard Art Museums; and Elisabeth Sherman, incoming Senior Curator and Director of Exhibitions and Collections at ICP. 

The non-juried Infinity Awards were selected by ICP to acknowledge major achievements in photography and philanthropy, and to honor Cornell Capa, who founded ICP in 1974 to preserve the legacy of “concerned photography”—the creation of socially and politically minded images that have the potential to educate and change the world. Since 1985, the ICP Infinity Awards have recognized major contributions and emerging talent in the fields of photojournalism, art, fashion photography, and publishing. 

The 2023 Infinity Awards Chair is ICP Trustee Diane Tuft. The event’s Honorary Committee members include Laylah Barrayn, Janette Beckman, Debi Cornwall, Bieke Depoorter, Nona Faustine, Marvin Heiferman, Acacia Johnson, Natalie Keyssar, Susan Meiselas, Richard Renaldi, Newsha Tavakolian, and Andre Wagner. The Infinity Nominating committee members include Allison Glenn, Senior Curator at Public Art Fund; Alona Pardo, Curator at Barbican Art Gallery London; Casey Riley, Chair of Global Contemporary Art and Curator of Photography and New Media at Minneapolis Institute of Art; David Campany, Curator-at-Large at ICP; Eva Respini, Barbara Lee Chief Curator at ICA/Boston; Jane’a Johnson, Artistic Director at Foam Fotografiemuseum; and Sara Ickow, Senior Manager of Exhibitions and Collections at ICP. 

Sponsored by Hearst and Harbers Studios, the 39th annual ICP Infinity Awards will draw attendees from the worlds of art, business, entertainment, fashion, philanthropy, and photography. Past honorees include Berenice Abbott, Lynsey Addario, Richard Avedon, David Bailey, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Roy DeCarava, Elliott Erwitt, Harold Evans, Larry Fink, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Robert Frank, Adam Fuss, David Goldblatt, Paul Graham, David Guttenfelder, Mishka Henner, André Kertész, Steven Klein, William Klein, Karl Lagerfeld, Annie Leibovitz, Helen Levitt, Mary Ellen Mark, Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, Ryan McGinley, Susan Meiselas, Duane Michals, Daidō Moriyama, Zanele Muholi, James Nachtwey, Shirin Neshat, Gordon Parks, Gilles Peress, Walid Raad, Eugene Richards, Sebastião Salgado, Malick Sidibé, Lorna Simpson, Cindy Sherman, Peter Van Atgmael, and Ai Weiwei, among others.