Sebastián Hidalgo is a photojournalist, reporter, and facilitator trained in civic newsrooms across Chicago. He has reported on issues ranging from the secret lives of teens working dangerous work shifts in Midwest factories to the lasting psychological effects of gentrification for mission-based newsrooms like ProPublica and City Bureau––a civic-oriented journalism lab in Chicago.

In 2019, he was among the inaugural local fellows at CatchLight and was part of a unique cohort of National Geographic Explorers and Nat Geo Photo mentors.

Today, he continues to freelance and develop impact strategies for photojournalists as a resident at the Chicago Art Department–the largest residency program seeking to reimagine Justice in Chicago.

To learn more or get involved, visit Chicago Art Department’s Collective Learning Program.

Permanent Collections:

  • The United States Library of Congress

  • The National Museum of Mexican Fine Art

  • Harvard Art Museum

Experiences:

  • Mental Health First Aid certified administrator

  • Dart Center — Journalist Trauma Support Network. Risk Training

  • Fellow and Team Leader at City Bureau, a civic journalism lab in Chicago

  • Mentee at the Advance Mentorship Program for Documentary Photography with photojournalists James Estrin and Ed Kashi

  • Mentee at the Documentary Photography Workshop with Former National Geographic vice-president Whitney Johnson

  • Fellow at The Chicago Reporter

  • Participants at The Center of Investigative Reporting.

  • Digital Producer at Wbez-Chicago.

  • Teaching Artist at Apple Creative Studios, Yollocali, and Cicero Independente.

Collections :

  • Permanent Collections at The Library of Congress

  • Permanent Collections at Harvard Art Museum

  • Permanent Collections at The National Museum of Mexican Fine Art 

Awards & Recognitions:

  • Recognized as one of the New and Emerging Photographers in 2021 by The 30. 

  • Explorer Grant Recipient, National Geographic Society 

  • Winner for Best in Collaborative Journalism, Staying Close. 2020. Gannett Network

  • Winner for New Series, An American Suburb, 2018. 2019. Edward R. Murrow Award 

  • Winner for Best of Online Photography, City Bureau Portfolio. 2018. Peter Lisagor Award 

  • Winner for Best of Photography, Restorative Justice. 2017. Peter Lisagor Award

  • Recognized as one of 12 Emerging You Should Know by The New York Times - Lens. 2018

  • Recognized as one of 10 Latino Photographers Documenting Underrepresented Communities by Remezcla. 2018

  • Featured in the ‘What Works’ series highlighting City Bureau by Politico

  • Featured in A photographer documents his changing community by WTTW-Chicago. 2018

Frequent Contributor:

The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, USAToday, ProPublica, and Injustice Watch