Isabel Muñoz is the first photographer to join the Academy. Throughout her extensive career, she has been honored with the most prestigious photography awards, including the Comunidad de Madrid Award (2006), the Bartolomé Ros Award from PHotoEspaña (2009), the Gold Medal for Merit in the Fine Arts (2009), the Unicef Award (2010), a double recognition from World Press Photo, as well as the National Photography Award (2016). Her professional prestige is further validated by the presence of her work in important collections, such as the National Museum of Art Reina Sofía in Madrid, the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris, and the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York.