Ami Vitale, best known for her international news and cultural documentation has been praised as a humane and empathetic storyteller. She has received recognition for her work from World Press Photo, the NPPA, International Photos of the Year, Photo District News and the Society of American Travel Writers, among many other organizations. Her stories have been awarded many grants including the first-ever Inge Morath grant by Magnum Photos, The Canon female photojournalist award for her work in Kashmir and the Alexia Foundation for World Peace, among others. Vitale's photographs have been published in major international magazines such as National Geographic Adventure, Geo, Newsweek, Time, Smithsonian and Le Figaro and her photographs have been presented in international exhibitions including: Visa Pour L'Image, Perpignan; Reporters Sans Frontiers, Paris; the FotoArt Festival in Poland; the Open Society Institute and The United Nations in New York.

"Ami is an incredibly talented photographer. Her photography reports news events and explains ongoing issues of concerns. From Prague to Kashmir, Angola to the Balkans, her depth of understanding helps her to explain the world she encounters. Her photography is inspirational," said David Rees, chair of the photojournalism sequence at the Missouri School of Journalism and director of the Pictures of the Year International.