Norwegian photographer wins award for poignant portrait of dying father and daughter

A moving portrait of a terminally ill father holding his sleeping daughter has earned Norwegian photographer Bjørn Langsem second place in the 2025 Picture of the Year awards, organised by the Norwegian Press Photographers’ Club. The image, titled “Bjørn Martin skal dø” (“Bjørn Martin is going to die”), was selected by a jury who described it as “a picture that brings a lump to the throat.”

The photograph captures Bjørn Martin Larsen, 49, who was diagnosed with incurable acute myeloid leukaemia, cradling his three-year-old daughter Julie as he weeps. The image was taken in a photo studio in Kolbotn, Oslo, in late 2024, months before Larsen’s death on 10 March 2026.

Langsem, a photographer for Dagbladet, documented Larsen’s final months, including his efforts to leave behind messages, photos, and videos for his daughter’s future birthdays, confirmation, and potential wedding. “I’m trying to leave some kind of message, images, or video that she can have when I’m gone,” Larsen had said.

The jury praised the portrait’s emotional depth, calling it “a metaportrait and an extremely powerful story in the moment he breaks down.” They noted its layered complexity, blending intimacy with the inevitability of loss.

Langsem, a veteran photographer with Dagbladet since the late 1980s, was commended by the newspaper’s photo editor, Frank Karlsen, for his professionalism and ethical standards. “He is skilled, always well-prepared, and has a unique ability to connect with people,” Karlsen said. Larsen’s widow, Ingvild Midtervoll, also expressed gratitude for Langsem’s sensitive work, stating, “It’s been meaningful to have one photographer with us throughout this time.”

The award ceremony took place on Friday evening at the Litteraturhuset in Oslo. Langsem’s series on Larsen had previously won European Newspaper Award’s “Photo Series of the Year” in February 2026 after being published as a 10-page spread in Dagbladet Magasinet.

First place in the portrait category went to Kyrre Lien of VG for “Når fronten nærmer seg” (“When the front approaches”), depicting a Ukrainian family—Yulie, 27, her husband Denilo, 21, and their 18-month-old son Timor—living just three miles from the frontline in Bilozerske. The jury described it as “a strong, classic family portrait” that contrasts the adults’ anxious expressions with the child’s obliviousness.

Third place was awarded to Andrea Gjestvang of Panorama for “Fødsel på flukt” (“Birth in flight”), showing Elizabeth Williams giving birth to her first son in a field clinic in South Sudan just hours after fleeing the Sudanese civil war. The jury highlighted the image’s “desperation turned to apathy” and its echoes of “Madonna and Child” iconography, calling it a “beautiful” yet harrowing depiction of an underreported crisis.

The jury for this year’s awards included Brian Karmark (Jyllands-Posten), Pi Frisk (Dagens Nyheter), and Jane Throndsen (director of Fotografiska Oslo).