Maya Valentine |
Visual journalist + Photo Editor
Maya Nicole Valentine started her career at National Geographic as a photo editing intern, and went on to become photo coordinator/editor on the History-Culture desk.
She is now working at The Washington Post as a Photo Assignment Editor, curating visual stories across multiple desks including Arts-Style, TravelHealth-Science, Well-Being and Home.
Maya graduated from the Missouri School of Journalism with a BA in Journalism- Multimedia Production and a minor in African American studies. She also completed a fellowship with the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education in 2024, and a fellowship with Visura.co in 2020.
An aspiring leader in visual direction—Maya enjoys photography and other visual mediums that help highlight human experience and cultural nuance.
Email: Mayanicolevalentine@gmail.com
Selected Awards & Involvements:
(2026) Photo editor on Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography — He’s dying. She’s pregnant.
(2026) Juror for Oversees Press Club Photography awards
(2026) WHNPA Best Digital Storytelling Package, In-Depth — He’s dying. She’s pregnant.
(2026) POYI Online Storytelling Project of The Year — Award of Excellence He’s dying. She’s pregnant.
(2025) Robert F Kennedy Human Rights - Domestic Photography Award — For some Black women, the fear of death shadows the joy of birth.