Sandra Hoyn was born in 1976 and lives as a independent photojournalist in Hamburg, Germany. She studied photography at the University of Applied Sciences Hamburg, graduating in 2005. She started working for magazines, NGOs and on her personal photo projects, concentrating on social, environmental and human rights issues. Her work has been published in Die Zeit, Zeit Campus, Chrismon, Der Spiegel, stern, Missio Magazin, NEON, GEO, GEOlino, and The New York Times Lens Blog, among others. Since 2007 she has been represented by laif, agency for photos and reports.

2017 she received the first prize of the Sony World Photography Awards in category daily life, POYi – Pictures of the Year International the third place category portrait. In 2016 she received the Magnum Photography Award in category photojournalism. In 2015, she received World Press 3rd prize, category nature singles.