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The Right to Know: Roberta Vagliani – Berlin Photo Awards 2025 Photographer of the Year

  • Award News, Documentary Photography, Winners 2025

Roberta Vagliani Wins Berlin Photo Awards 2025 Photographer of the Year for “The Right to Know”

At the 2025 Berlin Photo Awards, the photo “The Right to Know” stood out with quiet power — a simple yet profound moment captured in a classroom in Zanzibar. It was the highest rated photo by the judges. This single photograph, filled with curiosity, shyness, and a silent emotional bond, earned Italian photographer Roberta Vagliani the prestigious title Photographer of the Year at the 2025 Berlin Photo Awards.

For Roberta, photography has always been about far more than just taking pictures. Born and raised in Canneto sull’Oglio, a small town in the province of Mantua, Italy, she discovered photography at the age of 17, following a path that led her through reportage, documentary storytelling, and portraiture. At the heart of her work lies a deep commitment to three guiding principles: Emotion, Love, and Simplicity.

“Photography is my way of telling stories without words — of capturing true, intimate emotions and returning them to the viewer,” Roberta explains. Her lens is always searching for the unseen and the often unheard: the quiet resilience of humanity, the silent strength in someone’s eyes, the hope that lives even amidst suffering.

The Winning Photo: A Moment of Pure Connection

Roberta’s award-winning image was taken during a visit to a school in Zanzibar. Upon entering the classroom, dozens of curious eyes turned towards her — many of the children likely seeing a camera for the first time. Respecting the space and the moment, Roberta quietly positioned herself at the back of the room, waiting for an unguarded moment of authenticity.

“Suddenly, one of the children turned to look at me — a spontaneous, sincere glance that held curiosity and innocence,” she recalls. “I pressed the shutter once. In that single frame, there was everything I was searching for: a silent connection, an unspoken story.”

Capturing such moments requires more than technical skill — it requires sensitivity, patience, and the ability to become invisible. For Roberta, this is one of the greatest challenges and rewards of documentary photography: “I don’t just observe; I want to feel. I become part of the scene, even if hidden behind the lens.”

Inspired by Masters, Guided by Humanity

Throughout her photographic journey, Roberta has drawn inspiration from some of the world’s most iconic photographers. Steve McCurry taught her the power of the gaze and how a single look can touch the soul. From Henri Cartier-Bresson, she learned the art of composition and the beauty of silent black-and-white storytelling. The raw honesty of war photographer Fabio Bucciarelli has shown her the courage to capture difficult realities with dignity and humanity.

Yet, at the core of Roberta’s work is always the human being — not as a subject to be documented, but as a story to be told with care, empathy, and respect.

A New Project Rooted at Home

Looking ahead, Roberta is beginning a deeply personal project set in her own hometown. In this new series, she plans to document the beauty of everyday life — the faces, hands, gestures, and silent moments of the people who form the heart of her community. “I want to photograph the beauty that lives in the details: the discreet smiles, the traditions passed down, the houses where time has left its traces with respect,” she shares.

Her goal remains constant: to give voice to the invisible, to capture truth and emotion, and to create images that resonate far beyond the moment they are taken.
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The Berlin Photo Awards celebrate outstanding photography from around the world, providing a platform for both emerging talents and established professionals to share their unique visual stories with a global audience. The competition recognizes artistic excellence across diverse genres — including portrait, street, architecture, fine art, and documentary photography.

Explore more inspiring work and connect with our international photography community at Berlin Photo Awards.

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