Hunger ends with us – the story behind the lens

 

Introduction by Caroline Kenyon, Founder of the Awards

This World Food Day, we invited Action Against Hunger to talk about the role of photography in their mission to end hunger. 

We are extremely proud to have had AAH as our charity partner for 15 years - they support our On the Phone category, for any food-related image taken on a mobile phone. And for every image entered in this category, £2 will go to the charity.

Eden’s moving words confirm to my team and me why we cherish this relationship so much, it gives great meaning to our work in running the Awards.

 

‘Old Ubud market with rays of light in Bali’ by Soh Yew Kiat, Highly Commended, On the Phone in support of Action Against Hunger, 2024

 

Words by Eden Sparke, Senior Content Manager at Action Against Hunger

Food photography is an incredibly powerful medium that can speak to the beauty and joy of food, and its ability to bring people together. The visual aesthetic of food has become almost as important as the taste, with platforms like Instagram and TikTok pushing the industry to create dishes that look so good that you can almost taste them through the picture.

Beyond aesthetics, food photography captures culture, connection, and meaning behind every meal. It tells a story of shared humanity, reminding us how food unites us across borders, traditions, and languages. It can be emotional too, evoking memories of favourite dishes and the people who made them. At Action Against Hunger, we are proud to be a charity partner of the World Food Photography Awards, which celebrate food in all its forms.

 

'Drying Vermicelli'  by Azim Khan Ronnie, Highly Commended, On the Phone in support of Action Against Hunger, 2023

 

Along with capturing the joy of food, we use photography to capture the reality of food – or lack thereof – in the 57 countries where we work around the world. In 2024, around 8.2 per cent of the world’s population – 673 million people – faced hunger. This year, that number has been declining – good news on the surface, but the reality is stark. Extreme hunger is rising, and the crisis is far from over. In 2023, 281.6 million people were facing crisis levels of hunger or worse; by 2024, that number had grown to 295.3 million.  

These are big numbers that showcase a problem that can feel overwhelming and intractable, especially to communities not experiencing these crises. But with photography, we can humanise hunger, and make tangible the deep inequalities that millions of people experience around the world. By using photography to create a personal connection, we can tell stories and show the reality of hunger in places thousands of miles away, building a bridge between people who are experiencing hunger, and those who are not.

 

‘Essential’ by Sandipani Chattopadhyay, 2nd, Politics of Food, 2020

 

Hunger is not just a large-scale problem, but a complex one, often driven by conflict. And photography can help here too: you don’t have to be in the humanitarian sector to see the devastation war inflicts. It’s visible in every image and story emerging from conflict zones. Photos from the frontline reveal the real human cost, laying bare the toll on ordinary people. Families displaced, livelihoods destroyed and access to food deliberately cut off. 

In the last five years, conflicts have doubled, and the longer we wait to curb the levels of life-altering hunger, the harder it becomes. Yet at a time when needs are at its highest, global leaders have cut life-saving aid to those who need it most. The food imagery we celebrate should remind us what’s possible when everyone has enough, and what’s lost when politics and conflict deny that right.

Every image has the power to move people from awareness to action and to inspire the will to end hunger. On World Food Day, we are launching our campaign Hunger Ends With Us. We may not be able to solve hunger tomorrow, but we can take meaningful steps to make a difference. Either by staying informed, writing to your MP, advocating for communities affected by hunger, or even using photography to raise awareness, we can make huge leaps in a world free from hunger. 

 

'Neighborhood Gathering’ by Chunshui Yu, 3rd, On the Phone in support of Action Against Hunger

 

How to support Action Against Hunger through the Awards

Enter our On the Phone category - for any food-related image taken on a mobile phone - and for every image entered in this category, £2 will go to Action Against Hunger.

If you have photos relating to the humanitarian aspects of food, our World Food Programme Food for Life category or Politics of Food category could be for you. light.