For commissions or to request further information, please contact:

mail@marioheller.ch
+49 176 750 313 73

Mario Heller is a Swiss photojournalist and photo editor based in Berlin. Before turning to photography, he worked as a pastry chef. He graduated from MAZ Swiss School of Journalism in 2015.

His work focuses on long-form reportage from remote or politically complex regions, including Barentsburg, Narva, Nakhchivan, and the Armenian village of Hawresk in northern Iraq. In 2026, he was named Swiss Press Photographer of the Year. His work has also received the LensCulture Critics' Choice Award and the Swiss Storytelling Photo Grant, among others.

Since 2023, he has been a member of Panos Pictures in London, which distributes his stories internationally. Since 2021, he works part-time as a staff photographer and photo editor at Tagesspiegel in Berlin. Between 2018 and 2020, he contributed to Bild am Sonntag. His reportages have appeared in The Guardian, Die Zeit, Süddeutsche Zeitung, NZZ, Republik, Newsweek, and de Volkskrant, among others. Alongside his editorial work, he collaborates with NGOs and commercial clients including UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Experience & Education

Empfohlen

2023 – present: Member of Panos Pictures (UK)

Full Member of the Agency with Global Representation.

2021 – present: Photo Editor at Tagesspiegel (GER)

Photographing portraits and stories in Berlin, editing pictures for the daily newspaper and defining its unique look. Research photos for the online version and different magazines of the company.

2019 – present: Photography Director at LOLA Magazine in Berlin (GER)

Photographing and writing features for the print and web version of the magazine. Defining the visual appearance of the magazine together with the editor-in-chief. Selecting photos for the publications and assign photographers.

2020 – 2021: Artist in Residence at Lyceum Alpinum in Zuoz (CH)

Photographing the daily life of the Swiss boarding school, finding new photographic approaches to represent the school internally and externally. Managing different social media accounts and elaborate a unique visual appearance.

2018 – 2020: Photo Editor at BILD am SONNTAG in Berlin (GER)

Booking and briefing photographers around the world, research pictures, investigate photo sources. Defining the visual appearance of the newspaper in collaboration with the editorial team and the art direction.

2017 – 2018: Photo Editor at mmpro in Berlin (GER)

Editorial support for the German crude oil producer Wintershall. Commissioning of photographers worldwide, selection and provision of images for the public, maintenance of the image archive.

2015 – 2017: Photographer at Aargauer Zeitung in Aarau (CH)

Photographing portraits and reportages for the daily issues of the newspaper, as well as publish own stories.

2015: Photographer for Activities in Thailand

Embedded reportage of three remote schools in the North of Thailand for the charity organization‘s website and publications.

2013 – 2015: Study at MAZ – Die Schweizer Journalistenschule in Lucerne (CH)

Learning about the different genres in photography with a focus on editorial working and connecting with the media industry. Masterclass with Peter Van Agtmael and Didier Ruf.

Publications
Aargauer Zeitung · ARTE Magazin · BILD am Sonntag · Blick · Coop Zeitung · der Freitag · DIE ZEIT · Eurasianet · Fluter · Falstaff · NZZ · Schweizer Illustrierte · SonntagsZeitung · SonntagsBlick · Süddeutsche Zeitung · Surprise · TeleZüri · The Guardian · VICE · Watson · Weltwoche · WOZ – Die Wochenzeitung · Yelp · ZEIT ONLINE · Zurich Film Festival · 20min.ch ·

Exhibitions & Prizes
Swiss Press Photo 2026 (Winner/Photographer of the Year)
Encontros da Imagem Portfolio Reviews 2025
Swiss Press Photo 2025 (Winner)
Joop Swart Masterclass 2025 (Nominee)
Vizualizator Festival Belgrade (Exhibition)
Swiss Storytelling Photo Grant 9th Edition (Winner)
Les Rencontres de Marrakech (Finalist)
Siena International Photo Awards 2024 (Winner)
Swiss Press Photo 2024 (Winner)
Joop Swart Masterclass 2024 (Nominee)
Festival Revela'T Portfolio Reviews 2024
Kolga Tbilisi Photo 2024 (Shortlist)
Xposure Festival 2024 – Global Focus Project (Winner)
Annual Photography Awards 2023 (Winner)
Hamburg Portfolio Review 2023
Sarajevo Photography Festival (2nd Place)
LensCulture Critics’ Choice 2023 (Winner)
Hamburg Portfolio Review 2021
Kazakhstan Time Travel in Astana (Exhibition)
LensCulture Journeys 2020 Finalist
Open Doors HOME Exhibition 2020 (Online Exhibition)
Global Street Paper Summit 2018 (Best Photo)
MAZ.Galerie 2017 (Group Exhibition)
Swiss Press Photo 2017 (Group Exhibition)
Swiss Press Photo 2016 (Group Exhibition)
Ideal – 8 Ansichten BelleVue Basel 2015 (Group Exhibition) ‍ ‍
ewz.selection Swiss Photo Award Zürich 2015 (Group Exhibition)‍ ‍
In Between in Coal Mine Gallery Winterthur 2015 (Group Exhibition)
Side Stories in MAZ Galerie Luzern 2015 (Group Exhibition)
Babalu Zürich 2014 (Exhibition)