Today in Afghanistan, under the rule of the Taliban, women and girls are systematically denied education, employment, free movement and basic human rights. It's a horrific situation, and as you'd expect, most photographic projects drawing attention to these facts lean towards the miserable and depressing.
But even bad news stories usually have a positive side, if you look hard enough. And this picture, which has just been named Peace Image of the Year 2026 at the Global Peace Photo Award, is so upbeat and unusual that it cuts through our expectations like a knife through butter.
Yes, we're used to seeing protestors raise things in defiance. Fists. V signs. Even that three-finger salute from The Hunger Games, which has taken off at real-life protests in Thailand. But… hairdryers? What's going on here exactly?
Forbidden craft
The answer is that this image, titled The Cut and shot by Italian photographer Silvia Alessi, captures women who've fled Afghanistan for a new life, and who are now training in a craft they were previously forbidden from practising.
When the Taliban returned to power in 2021, beauty salons were one of many things to be banned, removing one of the few professions in which women could still earn a living. Now, across the border in Pakistan, young refugees are relearning those skills in classrooms fitted out with mirrors, mannequins and styling tools.
As jury member Peter-Matthias Gaede puts it: "Every hairdryer is a weapon in the struggle for self-determination, identity and visibility, for participation and the right to choose a profession."
Full-circle moment
It's a full-circle moment for Alessi, who previously spent more than ten years working as a hairstylist herself. It was a trip to Asia in 2004 that turned her on to photojournalism, and she's since built a reputation for projects such as Skin in India, Beyond the Line in Iraqi Kurdistan, and Maze of Metamorphosis in Japan. She typically researches the social context in depth before working out how to tell the story visually.
As for her prize-winning photograph, it's a simple set-up, but every choice counts. Alessi shot from a low angle with her Nikon Z6 II using the widest setting on her 24-70mm f/2.8 lens, turning the raised arms into something heroic and monumental.
The plain concrete wall, meanwhile, provides a fuss-free backdrop, allowing the saffron, burgundy, rust, and black scarves to shine against the gray. Finally, the trailing cables add a lovely visual rhythm, as well as a reminder that these are working tools rather than props.
This shot was picked from 27,846 entries submitted from 144 countries, and the prize was presented at Vienna City Hall. Now in its 14th year, the Global Peace Photo Award recognizes and promotes photographers from all over the world whose pictures capture human efforts towards a peaceful world and the quest for beauty and goodness in our lives.
