Luis Tato wins Visa d'or News award for Madagascar protest coverage

Top honours at Perpignan

Spanish photojournalist Luis Tato received the Visa d'or News Roger Thérond on Saturday at the Visa pour l'image festival in Perpignan, France. The award, presented in partnership with Paris Match, is the principal prize at the world's largest photojournalism gathering. Tato, a 37-year-old native of Ciudad Real, won the honour for his photo series documenting youth demonstrations in Madagascar during the autumn of 2025. Other distinctions at the festival went to French photographer Jérôme Gence in the Magazine category and Dominic Nahr of the Swiss daily Neue Zürcher Zeitung in the Daily Press category. French photographer Raymond Depardon, 84, received the Visa d'or d'honneur from Figaro Magazine for his career achievements.

Coverage of the Madagascar uprising

Tato's winning assignment captured the Generation Z mobilisations that shook Madagascar in late 2025. Demonstrations began on 25 September 2025, driven by students and young adults protesting against deteriorating public services, systemic corruption, and worsening economic conditions. President Andry Rajoelina dismissed his cabinet while refusing to step down, causing the unrest to escalate until the country's military ousted him in mid-October 2025. Tato spent roughly ten days on the ground working among demonstrators facing violent state repression. Speaking to Agence France-Presse before accepting his award, Tato reflected on the broader wave of youth activism seen across nations like Nepal, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, and Madagascar.

I think this global movement of young people trying to redefine democracy and make their society evolve is a very interesting dynamic, which fascinates me both as a photographer and as a person trying to understand the world in which we live.

Tributes and industry recognition

During his acceptance remarks in Perpignan on Saturday evening, Tato thanked the young people of Madagascar and dedicated his award to their courage, noting that they knew how important it was that their story be told. He also delivered a tribute to festival founder Jean-François Leroy, who died on Monday. Leroy provided Tato with an early professional breakthrough in 2018 by displaying his photographs at the festival when he was starting his career. Tato praised Leroy's legacy and his dedication to supporting the photojournalism community.

Nobody has done as much for our ecosystem.

Career path and international accolades

Based in Nairobi, Kenya, Tato serves as the chief photographer and photo coordinator for East Africa and the Indian Ocean at Agence France-Presse, where he has been a staff member since 2023. His Madagascar coverage had previously earned recognition at the World Press Photo awards in April 2026. Over his career, Tato has won multiple international photography awards, including the Prix de la Ville de Perpignan Rémi Ochlik in 2018, three World Press Photo awards in 2021, 2025, and 2026, and the Photographer of the Year title from Pictures of the Year International in 2023. His portfolio has also received honours from the Sony World Photography Awards and the NPPA Best of Photojournalism competition.