Mohamed Mahdy (b. 1996) is a visual storyteller and educator from Alexandria, Egypt. His work concentrates on the hidden and often unseen communities in Egypt, tackling diverse cultural and social issues relevant to the context in which he works.
Mahdy graduated from Pharos University in Alexandria (PUA) with a degree in Arts and Design. He was awarded a scholarship and completed two diplomas at the Danish School for Media and Journalism (DMJX) in Arhus, Denmark.
In 2018, Mahdy was named by The New York Times Lens Blog as one of 12 emerging photographers to watch. In 2021, he was selected as a Photography and Social Justice Fellow of the Magnum Foundation and in 2022, he was named by The Guardian as one of five emerging talents in photojournalism. He also won the 2022 Canon Student Development Programme. For his project Here, the Doors Don’t Know Me, Mahdy received the Open Format Award in the 2023 World Press Photo Contest, as well as awards from La Fondation des Treilles and the III Premi Mediterrani Albert Camus Incipiens.
Mahdy’s work has been exhibited internationally. Notable presentations include Take Me to the River (2021) at Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin, and at the Altonaer Museum, Hamburg, as part of the Hamburg Portfolio Review. He has also held three solo exhibitions in Egypt, and his work has been shown at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, Geopolis in Belgium, Photoville in New York and the Sharjah Art Foundation.
Mahdy is a member of the African Photojournalism Database, a directory of emerging and professional African visual journalists established by World Press Photo and Everyday Africa.
World Press Photo Involvement:
2026 World Press Photo Contest winner
2023 World Press Photo Contest winner
Mohamed Mahdy on Social Media:
Instagram: @mohamedmahdyph
