Exterior of Muhammad Ali Center building looking up from a slanted angle
Exterior of Muhammad Ali Center building looking up from a slanted angle
Exterior of Muhammad Ali Center building looking up from a slanted angle
Exterior of Muhammad Ali Center building looking up from a slanted angle
Exterior of Muhammad Ali Center building looking up from a slanted angle
Shining a Light: Iconic WomenShining a Light: Iconic WomenShining a Light: Iconic Women

Shining a Light: Iconic Women

This year's annual photography contest celebrates important women throughout global history and iconic women that shaped Muhammad Ali's life.

Until January 19, 2026

At the Center

Shining a Light:
Iconic Women

This year's annual photography contest celebrates important women throughout global history and iconic women that shaped Muhammad Ali's life.

Until January 19, 2026

At the Center

Multiple generations of women wearing gold/brown clothing and holding slices of watermelon with art deco text "Iconic Women: From Everyday Life to Global Heroes" and Shining a Light logo
Muhammad Ali Center/Hardijanto Budiman

From Everyday Life to Global Heroes

The 11th annual Shining a Light documentary-style photography exhibition focuses on iconic women of the world and how they do well for themselves, their communities, and the world through their everyday actions, fearless dedication, and everything in between.

The exhibition will open on March 8, 2025 on International Women’s Day and will run through January 19, 2026.

This year’s exhibition was informed by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #5 (Gender Equality). Photographers of all skill levels were invited to submit photographs that illustrate topics unique to the lives of women from around the world.

Photos were received from 65 countries around the world, celebrating the identities, successes, and contributions of women that are regarded as iconic.

Exhibit Preview

See some of the photos selected for this year's exhibition.

Woman with dark curly hair wearing green face mask and brown uniform holding onto chimpanzee in forest
Woman with long flowing brown hair wearing red makeup and red dress showcasing prosthetic leg
Older woman wearing purple top and yellow skirt holding onto plants with both hands and posing for camera alongside another woman kneeling and holding plants
Black and white photo of women in various attire standing in group and holding up lit candles
Woman wearing hat and blue outfit standing in body of water that is chest high next to a blue kayak while pulling plants
Black and white photo of woman wearing headdress and long flowing outfit strumming an electric guitar
Multiple generations of women sitting and wearing gold outfits, holding onto slices of watermelon and looking directly at camera
Black and white photo of woman sitting at table with group of people listening around her
Ebrahim Alipoor - In Quest of Identity
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