Photographer and humanitarian receives Tipperary International Peace Award
Giles Duley was presented with the 2025 Tipperary Peace Prize this week at a ceremony in Tipperary
The Tipperary Peace Awards ceremony for 2025 was recently held in Ballykisteen Hotel, Limerick Junction, where Internationally acclaimed photographer, humanitarian and peace advocate Giles Duley MBE was presented with this years award.
Giles was accompanied on his visit to Tipperary by a 15-person delegation from the UK, and the ceremony was also attended by a distinguished gathering of guests from Ireland and abroad. The award ceremony took place in Tipperary on 15 September 2026, bringing together representatives from the Tipperary Peace Convention and supporters of the award.
Speaking about why Giles was chosen for this year’s award, Secretary of the Tipperary Peace Convention Martin Quinn said: “The Award recognises Giles Duley’s extraordinary courage, resilience and humanitarian work. Through his photography and storytelling, he has documented the lives of people affected by war, displacement and humanitarian crises around the world, ensuring that their individual stories, dignity and humanity are not forgotten.
“The Tipperary International Peace Award has established an international reputation for recognising individuals and organisations who have demonstrated courage and an exceptional commitment to peace, reconciliation and humanitarian endeavour.
"The presentation to Giles Duley continues that tradition and reflects the Convention’s belief in the power of individuals to promote understanding, compassion and our shared humanity.
Giles began his career as a photographer working in music, fashion and celebrity before increasingly turning his attention to humanitarian storytelling. In 2011, while working in Afghanistan, he stepped on an improvised explosive device and sustained life-changing injuries, losing both legs and his left arm.
Following a long recovery, Giles returned to photography and humanitarian work. His subsequent work has taken him into communities affected by war and displacement around the world, documenting not only suffering and loss, but also resilience, dignity, family and hope. Through his photography and advocacy, Giles has sought to challenge the way people affected by conflict are represented, placing their experiences and voices at the centre of his work.
He is also the founder of the Legacy of War Foundation, an international charity supporting communities affected by conflict and working to create positive change through humanitarian programmes, storytelling and advocacy.
Speaking after receiving the award, Giles Duley said: “I am deeply honoured to receive the Tipperary International Peace Award. Throughout my work I have never felt that I was simply photographing conflict; I have been fortunate enough to meet people who have invited me into their lives and trusted me with their stories. Those encounters have changed me far more than I could ever explain.
“Peace can sometimes feel like an enormous and distant idea, but I believe it starts with something much more human — seeing one another, listening to one another and recognising each other’s dignity. I have witnessed extraordinary kindness and resilience in some of the darkest places, and it is those moments that continue to give me hope.
“I accept this award on behalf of the many people I have had the privilege of meeting and photographing over the years. Their courage, their generosity and their determination to rebuild their lives are what inspire me to keep doing this work.”
Previous recipients of the award have included Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela, Mikhail Gorbachev, Mary Robinson, Kofi Annan and Malala Yousafzai.