October 16, 2018 (Los Angeles, CA) - The International Photography Awards (IPA) announced its 2018 competition finalists. A sister effort of Lucie Foundation, the IPA winners were revealed at The Lucie Awards gala, on Sunday, October 28 at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York. An international jury of renowned photography experts http://www.photoawards.com/jury/ has selected these outstanding finalists from approximately 16,000 submissions (38,000 images) from over 130 countries. This year, the Lucie Foundation is pleased to declare Matilde Simas was awarded1st place in the Event/ Social Cause category + Honorable Mention for Culture and Traditions categories: "Growing up Female in Maasai Society" and “A Centuries Old Maasai Custom: Female Genital Mutilation."

About Winner:
Matilde Simas is an award-winning American documentary photographer and founder of Capture Humanity based in the Greater Boston area. Simas received a BA in Liberal Arts and Science from Suffolk University and is currently studying Social Justice at Harvard University.“Faces Behind Atrocity,” a portrait series Simas created on child survivors of human trafficking for a United Nations World Day Against Trafficking in Persons campaign, has received an International Photography Award, Tokyo International Foto Award, and a PRIX de La Photographie Paris Award.  Simas's fine art prints are part of numerous private and corporate collections, including the African Union and the Kenyan National Archives at UNODC and UN Migration. Her greater Boston-based organization Capture Humanity is dedicated to bringing issues of human rights violations to light using creative storytelling to advocate change and make a positive impact.  

About IPA:
ABOUT LUCIE FOUNDATION - Lucie Foundation's mission is to honor master photographers, discover and cultivate emerging talent and promote photography appreciation worldwide. The Lucie Awards ceremony is held annually to celebrate the outstanding achievements of the international photography community, recognizing those whose life's work deserves the highest acclaim. This is also where the Foundation's sister enterprise, the International Photography Awards (IPA), announces the winners of the competition. Cash prizes and statues are awarded. The Foundation presents year-round programming, including SNAPSHOP!, offers financial funding through the Lucie Scholarship Programs and presents MOPLA (Month of Photography LA), the west coast destination for a unique month of distinctive programming for photographers and those who appreciate the craft. The Lucie Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable foundation. www.luciefoundation.org