Anja Matthes began working with members of the Kiki scene, a community of at-risk LGBTQ youth of color. In collaboration with Housing Works and Open Source Gallery, she produced and distributed the Kiki Yearbook, a book project for members of the Kiki scene. The project was featured in W Magazine and is included in the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture archive. In February 2019, Matthes received an HMI Honors Award for her work with the Kiki youth and her work is shortlisted for the Athens Photo Festival 2019 and won the Pride Photo Award in 2019. Her work with the Kiki Ballroom scene was featured in The Atlantic.