Kiana Hayeri

Behind the lens: the global impact of TMU alumni in photography

Kiana Hayeri

Instagram: instagram.com/kianahayeri/ (external link, opens in new window)

Program: Image Arts ’11

Website: kianahayeri.com (external link, opens in new window)

Kiana Hayeri grew up in Tehran, Iran and moved to Toronto as a teenager. She took up photography to bridge cultural and linguistic gaps. In 2014, she moved to Kabul, staying for eight years. Her work often explores migration, adolescence, identity and sexuality in conflict zones. Hayeri has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Tim Hetherington Visionary Award (2020), the James Foley Award for Conflict Reporting (2020), the Robert Capa Gold Medal (2021), the Leica Oskar Barnack Award (2022) and the Carmignac Photojournalism Award (2023). She was part of the New York Times team that won the Hal Boyle Award (2022) and was shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting. In 2024, she published a photobook, When Cages Fly, which was shortlisted for Rencontres d’Arles Author Book Award and a finalist for APhF Pick:24 Book Award. She is a Senior TED fellow, a National Geographic Explorer grantee, and a regular contributor to the New York Times and National Geographic. She is currently based in Sarajevo, covering stories from Afghanistan, the Balkans and beyond.