& Finalists
Stunning New Photographic Portraits from Around the World
Series Winners
Single Image Winners
Jurors’
picks
I appreciated Toby's documentary approach to portraiture. His images conveyed an authenticity and honesty in German youth who are living in the margins. His compositions are varied and allow for the landscape to help tell the story. I get the sense that he spends a lot of time getting to know the people he photographs, and I feel that I somehow know them after seeing his photographs.
Many have documented and captured the Irish traveller community over the past, Joseph's images are a true insight into the youth of that culture, by gaining their trust over more than a decade, he has been accepted into their community and given free reign to document them in their environment and homes, each image tells a story in itself allowing the viewer to gain more of an understanding about this unique and often criticised culture.
Gypsies and Travellers, are a population that almost no one knows about, but with unique characteristics.
Their distinctive way of life and traditions manifest themselves in nomadism, the centrality of their extended family and unique languages.
Sam Wright’s work holds people and place storytelling at its heart. His gentle gaze helps us understand the people who keep this heritage alive.
It's so nice not to have to ponder and let yourself be carried away by poetry. In our job, as a photo editor, it's quite rare to be able to let go, and not have to justify your choices. This portrait series is beautifully imperfect, sometimes even trivial. But I like it, and as I like the pleasure of not explaining it to me. Photographic accidents produce pretty things, and so do those who judge them.
I admire the potent simplicity of Valery Poshtarov’s idea of showing moments of unusual tenderness between grown men — father and son — simply holding hands, dressed as they usually dress, in an environment that is personally connected with them. The portraits seem awkward — these men have probably not held hands since one of them was a small child — but the gestures are honest, and loving. Each double portrait is a “performance” and an intentional demonstration of love. And the overall setting of each picture allows the viewer to imagine how similar or different their day-to-day lives must be.
Israel Fuguemann's solemn and affecting portraits of refugees convey both the strength and vulnerability of those displaced by war. Women, children and older adults are at the heart of these powerful photographs, and their longing for home and their families is palpable.
Jessica Eve Rattner approached her portraits with a lovely warmth and tenderness as she documented the final years of the life of Carol Schuldt. The series was well curated, with moments that highlighted both a vibrant personality and someone who struggled with personal tragedies and illness. Considering aging women are often dismissed in media, I appreciated the intimacy and honesty in her images.
In Sarah Blesener's, The Sun as it Rips Away, we see Alex's last days before and first days after experiencing a gender-affirmation procedure; ironically occurring in Florida (home to the “Don’t Say Gay” bill). Seeing Alex basically alone in a mostly dark series reflected the toll of going through such a long journey (waiting ten years for the surgery), but with hopes of sunnier days living as one's true self.
Finalists
International Jury
Jessica Dimson is the deputy director of photography at The New York Times Magazine where she assigns, produces, and edits photography for covers, special issues, photo essays and features. Prior to that, she worked as a photo editor on the national and metro desks at the New York Times and was the photo editor for the 2016 presidential campaign. Previously, Jessica was a photo editor at Vanity Fair and Departures magazine. Her work has been recognized by the Society of Publication Designers, American Photography, The Art Directors Club, and Pictures of the Year International.
Sacha Lecca is a photographer and a Deputy Photo Editor at Rolling Stone Magazine. He has had a 20-year-long career in print journalism with stints at Newsweek, CMP Media, and his current photo editing position at Rolling Stone.
Noelle Flores Théard has been the senior digital photo editor at The New Yorker since 2021. She was the program officer at Magnum Foundation from 2016 to 2021, and is a co-founder of FotoKonbit, a nonprofit organization created in 2010 to engage and support Haitians telling their own stories through photography.
Russ O’Connell is the Picture Editor of the Sunday Times Magazine in London. He has worked for some of the biggest consumer publications in the UK market as a Photographic Editor and Director. Collaborating with the biggest photographers in the world, both in the UK and abroad, he regularly commissions assignments ranging from high-end celebrity portraiture, to in-depth reportage and long-form documentary photography. Russ has judged numerous high profile photographic competitions for the likes of: The Sony World Photography Awards, Royal Photographic Society awards, BJP, Amnesty International, and is on the judging panel of the Ian Parry Scholarship.
Jerome Huffer (born 1981 in Paris) joined Paris Match as a trainee in 2001, while he was still in art school. He has remained at the magazine since then, and is now head of the picture desk. Across his time at Paris Match, Jerome has built strong visual narratives and produced tailored editorial content in a fast-paced challenging environment. Jerome has served on the several juries including World Press Photo, Visa d’or Awards, and the Bayeux Festival or Lagardere Foundation.
Samantha Cooper is the senior photo editor at WIRED. Previously, she was a photo and video curator at Instagram and a creative producer and photo editor at Airbnb. Samantha has developed a Webby Award-winning film for Airbnb and produced photography that was selected as an American Photography 35 winner for WIRED. She has exhibited work and curated photography exhibitions throughout San Francisco, and she has taught photography at the Harvey Milk Photo Center in San Francisco, California. Samantha holds a BA in Film and Video from the University of California at Santa Cruz. She currently serves on the City College of San Francisco Industry Advisory Board for photography.
Manila Camarini is the chief photo editor for D La Repubblica, a magazine attached to the newspaper la Repubblica. Born in Milan in 1973, Manila Camarini started her career as a photographic agent working for major Italian newspapers. She has held the role of photo editor for Panorama Travel Mondadori and Condè Nast Traveller. In 2003, she worked as a professional journalist and photo editor for D La Repubblica and in November 2014 she became chief photo editor for D Lui.
Jim Casper is the editor-in-chief of LensCulture, one of the leading online destinations to discover contemporary photography from around the world. As an active member in the contemporary photography world, Casper organizes annual international photography events, travels around the world to meet with photographers and review their portfolios, curates art exhibitions, writes about photography and culture, lectures, conducts workshops, serves as an international juror and nominator for key awards, and is an advisor to arts and education organizations.