Finbarr O’Reilly has spent the last 20 years as an award-winning visual journalist and author working in conflict zones and complex humanitarian emergencies. He is a regular contributor to The New York Times and was the Laureate of the 2020 Carmignac Photojournalism Award, which resulted in a two-year project, two books, and multiple exhibitions about the Democratic Republic of Congo. Finbarr has also produced exhibitions for the Nobel Peace Prize and the International Criminal Court. His focus in recent years has been on leading collaborative multi-platform projects that develop and promote a more representative range of voices and perspectives in the photojournalism industry.
For both his Nobel and Carmignac commissions, Finbarr collaborated with Ethiopian and Congolese photographers to produce joint exhibitions and projects, in which local photographers shaped the narratives around their own countries. Much of his work now involves mentoring emerging photographers.
Finbarr is a Canon Ambassador and has held fellowships at Yale, Harvard, and Columbia universities and has won numerous awards, including World Press Photo of the Year, a Peabody Award, and an Emmy for Outstanding Video Journalism. He was the winner of the 2023 James Foley Award for Conflict Reporting and is the co-author of the 2017 memoir Shooting Ghosts: A U.S. Marine, a Combat Photographer, and Their Journey Back from War (Penguin-Random House).
