Globe photographer nominated for prestigious Polish literary prize for journalists

A photo from the book Painted-over Windows by Globe and Mail contributing photojournalist Anna Liminowicz. The book is a portrait of the Polish region of Masuria, where she grew up. Pictured: Olga and Ahafia were classmates in primary school in Masuria. As children of Ukrainians, they were forced to come here from the southeastern part of Poland in 1947. They both grew up in Masuria and married Poles. They left the Greek Orthodox church and adopted the Roman Catholic faith, joining so many others who forsook their heritage.Anna Liminowicz/The Globe and Mail

Globe and Mail contributing photojournalist Anna Liminowicz has been nominated for The Ryszard Kapuściński Award, a Polish international literary prize that celebrates journalism.

The prize is named after Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuściński, who died in 2007 and who has been hailed as one of the greatest foreign correspondents of his time. The award is for a reportage book published in Poland, either in Polish or translated from another language.

For photographer Anna Liminowicz, documenting Ukrainians’ displacement meant uncovering her own family’s loss

Liminowicz was nominated for her book Zamalowane Okna – Painted-over Windows – which was published in 2022. The book is a portrait of the Polish region of Masuria, where she grew up.

The last time Horst and Anna saw each other was 74 years ago, when Horst and his family were leaving home just as other Germans were fleeing the Russian army approaching East Prussia. Every year since the '70s Horst has been returning to this place.Anna Liminowicz/anna liminowicz

Before 1945, Masuria was part of East Prussia, in Germany. It was absorbed into Poland after the Second World War and the German population fled or was expelled. In 1947, the Polish communist government forcibly relocated more than 140,000 people from land along the border with Ukraine, simply because of their Ukrainian background.

Liminowicz uses photography and text to tell the stories of those who experienced Masuria’s tortured history first hand – Poles, Ukrainians, Germans. “Destruction, the memory of the war and resettlement is always with the survivors,” she wrote. “Their experiences often remain an undiscovered secret not only for strangers but for loved ones too, including their children.”

Piotr lost his parents before he was old enough to ask them about their past. Now it’s too late. They’ve died. He seeks answers through the stories of other displaced Ukrainians.Anna Liminowicz/The Globe and Mail

Liminowicz is an award-winning photojournalist based in Warsaw. She has been a key part of the Globe’s coverage of the war in Ukraine and the ensuing refugee crisis since February 2022.

The ten nominees for the $31,500 prize also include British journalist Christina Lamb for her book Our Bodies, Their Battlefield: What War Does to Women. Canadian-American journalist Matthieu Aikins has also been nominated for his book The Naked Don’t Fear the Water: An Underground Journey with Afghan Refugees.

A total of 143 titles were entered for the 2023 prize including 46 translated from English, Spanish, French and other languages. The award will be announced on May 27 in Warsaw.