1ST PRIZE: NATHANIEL MULLINS

For me, a compelling image doesn’t merely convey a clear, decodable message; it holds a mysterious layer that keeps it alive long after we see it. This winning image embodies exactly that. It speaks to my curiosity and subconscious, creating a subtle yet profound connection with the man, even though I don’t fully grasp the story. There’s an undeniable bond between us. I am also captivated by its tonality and lighting—they are deeply poetic and evocative. – JOAKIM ESKILDSEN

A portrait tailored for its model; this outstanding image is based on mutual respect between the people standing at the two ends of the lens. The photographer stripped the frame of any distraction to allow the subject to tell the deepest, holiest story: the legacy of the ancestors. The light and the sparse color palette complement the portrait perfectly. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – A member of the Dust Shaker clan, Papua New Guinea.

Exactly what is the Dust Shaker ritual in Papua New Guinea? After a period of mourning, the widows and widowers present themselves back to social groups through this ceremony. It signifies the end of mourning and also their resilience to embrace new beginnings. They literally are shaking off the ashes of old and starting new again.

The ceremony beautifully embodies the spirit of life’s ups and downs and their ability to move forward while honoring their past. Joy after loss is something that I struggle with and seeing a secluded tribe on the other side of the earth having the same experience makes me feel less alone.

2ND PRIZE: ELISABETE MENDES

This image is indescribably beautiful, moving, and sensual, yet also unsettling, infused with a sense of mystery. We cannot tell whether the figure is drowning or simply feeling a stream of water trickle down their face in enjoyment. The boy is both incredibly delicate and haunting, evoking the fragility of life and resonating with the countless people who drown fleeing from Africa to Europe. Without being overt or explicit, the image masterfully combines the sublime experience of being in water with the claustrophobic terror of drowning, creating a profoundly moving and sensory experience. – JOAKIM ESKILDSEN

So pure and artistic, this portrait encompasses raw emotions. The glittering, brown, swirling water, the peaceful emergence of the subject, and the warming sun say nothing and everything at the same time. The portrait simply shows how happiness looks and feels. However, without impeccable technical skills, this beautiful concept would have been lost, so well done for masterfully using photographic technique to convey the message. – LIFE FRAMER

TIANHU YUAN

Even though the portrait is based on real life, it still looks like a fantasy, which is intriguing. The model’s stand-offish pose is in such contrast with the rest of the scene that one can’t help but wonder what her story is.  A straightforward composition that makes the subject stand out like this shows that a lot of thought was put into making this image, starting with the photographer’s deep understanding of the subject. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Lolita Dreams is about the Lolita fashion subculture community in China. Lolita fashion is a subculture that originated in Japan and is primarily inspired by the clothing and general aesthetics of the Rococo and Victorian periods. Participants in this subculture have redefined the term ‘Lolita’, shifting its original connotation from Nabokov’s sexual metaphor associated with the Lolita complex to a new, de-sexualized meaning that embodies girlishness, cuteness, and elegance. Particularly, Lolita participants pointed out that Nabokovian Lolita’s undertone is sexualised children, but Lolita fashion subculture is in connection with adults who desire to express childish cuteness. Gradually, Lolita fashion subculture has developed into an industry, generating economic benefits and getting a lot of fans on the internet.

As a foreign subculture, Lolita fashion has inevitably had its ups and downs with the government-led mainstream culture and public opinion in the course of its development. More than two decades have passed since I first encountered Lolita fashion enthusiasts. Over these years, the Lolita fashion subculture in China has undergone significant transformation, gradually shedding its origins’ influence and manifesting the phenomenon of de-Westerncentrism in the localization process. By integrating with ACG (anime-comic-game) culture, it has evolved into a distinctly localized Chinese community. These subcultural movements have exerted a subtle yet profound influence on participants, particularly teenage adherents, shaping their individuality, self-identity, lifestyle choices and consumption habits.

KillerTiger777 has loved Lolita fashion for over a decade. After completing her studies and work in Beijing, she returned to her hometown, Chongqing. Now a freelancer, she balances roles as a doujinshi illustrator, Lolita model, and subculture photographer. She enjoys gothic-style Lolita and creatively combines Lolita with other subcultural styles. Reflecting on the current state of the Lolita community, she notes that its expansion has attracted a broader audience but has also diluted its subcultural essence, leading to changes that don’t fully align with Lolita’s original spirit.

ANNA TYMOFIEIEVA

Fine-art portraiture is a place to experiment, transform abstract concepts into physical representations, and invite the viewer into a deeper kind of meditation. The model diffuses into a more generic identity, like an actor on the stage. Here, by using reflection and a limited color palette in a very artistic fashion, the photographer casts the subject in a double role: the observed and the observer. Aren’t we living in this duplicity, too? – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – It Was Always You. This image explores duality through reflection. Using fabric, warm light, and a liquid-glass effect, the mirror-like surface distorts and softens the figure, creating a dreamlike mood where identity appears both intimate and distant.

ALEX BEX

The photographer chose to fill the frame with the main character for an unusually intense portrait. The color palette – minimalist, high contrast, vintage tones – adds a temporal element to this story, revealing the tension between tradition and modernity, legacy and future generations. To create such a rich narrative with only a subject and a couple of colors is an impressive achievement. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – A moment before (Jonathan) is an image part of Memories of Dust, a long-term photography project exploring traditional masculinity in Texas. In this project, I examine the cowboy, a classic male role model constructed by visual media, and its place in a fast-changing society.

SIMON MARTIN

Documentary photography may be equally used to raise awareness on the present and collect memories for the future. This environmental portrait in analogous colors is a blend of old and young, what it was and what it will be, infused with nostalgia and melancholy. Change is never easy for us. The photographer has found the camera angle that creates the most depth and tension and has cleverly used the power lines that disappear into the horizon to build a strong leading line. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – A young man stands on the edge of Sittingbourne edgelands, surrounded by former brick fields and in the shadow of the Sheppey crossing. The photographer explores his hometown and attempts to archive scenes of nostalgia before London’s commuter belts expands to the coast lines.

VILMA PAULIKAITĖ

The fact that the hands have so much visual weight provides an intense experience. They are the starting point of a visual journey, one that takes you from an ordinary summer day to the recollection of an entire age. The framing makes this image unusual and captivating, adds depth, and gives us food for thought. It has the overall feeling of a Shakespearean Midsummer Night’s Dream. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Summer postcard.

LOGAN WHITE

Portraiture is a way of looking behind closed curtains. It reveals the magic we don’t know, as we are blinded by cultural customs, personal biases, preconceptions, and the heavy luggage of tradition. This colorful shot portrays not the disease that can make a person age ten times faster, but the joie de vivre we should all bring to light. The vignetting effect and the cinematic lighting put everything in perspective. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – The word progeria comes from the Greek words pro and g?ras, meaning “premature old age.” With a life expectancy of around 15 years old, teenagers’ bodies have effectively aged at an accelerated rate of 8-10 times the norm. Kaylee Halko just had her 22nd birthday.

On assignment for The New Yorker, for an excellent story written by Dhruv Khullar, I landed in Perrysburg, Ohio to spend the day with Kaylee. While Khullar’s story sheds light on the incredible genetic advancements in progeria research and hope for a potential cure, my time with Kaylee was spent playing dress up in her bedroom, going on a joyride in her modified van, playing with her service dog Iris, and hanging out with her friends and family, doing manicures and playing video games.

Kaylee showed me her dance trophies from childhood, when she could dance more freely, with less risk of injury. She tried on her high school prom dress, which she said was difficult to find because while she loves fashion, her options are usually limited to the toddler section. Kaylee showed me her scars from heart surgery and X-rays that show her hips stabilized with metal rods. Heartbreaking realities of her daily struggles aside, the experiences from that day that stuck with me most are laughing at her ceaseless humor, glitter eyeshadow tutorials, and singing to Milli Vanilli’s hit song “Girl I’m Gonna Miss You.”

Getting to know Kaylee in this intimate and creative way has brought me so much joy and inspiration. She has love and support around her, and peace within herself–in a way that restores some level of faith in humanity. It comes at a time in our world when we all desperately need something inspiring and hopeful to keep us pushing on, to not just survive, but to thrive.

MICHAEL WIRTH

The fluidity of the scarf that matches the road, the beautiful curves of the human face, and the alternation of textures, all come together smoothly in a timeless photograph. The face becomes an icon, the ultimate representation of humanity in all its splendor. Although it may seem to be the story of one person, this image is in fact the story of every person. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – 34c in Belleville/Paris.

JAAP KROON

This intense environmental portrait may very well be either a scene from a movie or a candid snapshot of a mundane scene of life. Although the subject remains the main focal point of the frame, the décor adds a lot to the story and transforms the subject into a character. The photographer has chosen the color palette and overall look very wisely and has created a well-balanced, striking composition. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Merlijn Breedland is currently the frontman of the Dutch band Dorpsstraat 3. I took this photo in the harbor area of IJmuiden (the Netherlands) for a press kit of another band. This image is one of my favorite photos I have taken so far.

SARI SOININEN

An explosion of emotion guides us into the inner world of the photographer. The self-portrait reveals what most people try to hide: vulnerability, turmoil, fears, and a myriad of thoughts and feelings. Even though it carries a heavy message, the image is well-balanced, lightweight, and gracious. It’s a good example of the less is more theory. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – My self-portraits are part of a personal journey into different layers of existence. They are not simply likenesses, but images of experiences and emotions that have left imprints on me. I work intuitively, letting images emerge from an inner necessity rather than from theory. Esoteric ideas and symbols serve as inspiration rather than direct references, shaping an atmosphere from which the portraits take form.

I am particularly influenced by the esoteric currents in Finnish painting at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. My own transformative experiences – including a months-long psychosis that permanently changed how I see the world – have also shaped my work. The portraits become a way to approach these inner worlds, not to explain them but to allow them to be seen and felt.

Each image is created in the moment using flashes, colored gels and smoke effects, without digital manipulation afterwards. This immediacy preserves the raw, transformative quality of the encounter. In the end, these portraits are less about depicting a face than about opening a threshold to invisible realms and inner metamorphoses.

LIEVEN ENGELEN

Thanks to its straightforward composition and artful side lighting, this standard school shot becomes a beautiful portrait that could be illustrating an editorial or exhibited in an art gallery. The photographer’s approach is compassionate and kind, making sure that the subjects feel free and comfortable. The photo is not taken from a position of power or superiority but with love, and this is what photography is all about. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Pupils from the secondary school from the village of Nzulenzo. Nzulenzo is the only village on stilts in the whole of Ghana. The school lacks resources and more importantly teachers. Most of the teachers, when they are transferred to Nzulenzo don’t stay long. They are scared of the water. There is no culture of learning how to swim in Ghana in part because of lack of access to pool facilities. So, while Nzulenzo residents are strong swimmers by the age of four, the location proves challenging for teachers from other parts of the country.

YAEL BAR COHEN

A very artful and carefully curated portrait, the image is a radiography of the soul. The lighting is stunning and makes the head look almost like floating on a sea of black and grays, haunting the viewer with the silent staring of the eyes. The viewer feels like a disturber, but it’s impossible to look away nonetheless, so they stare in return, silently. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – A quiet inwardness, a figure suspended between light and shadow. My portraits explore presence and vulnerability, moments where identity surfaces in the smallest gestures and gazes. Each subject carries its own silence. Together they form a dialogue about closeness, distance, and the traces of memory in human connection.

SANGHAMITRA SARKAR

Visually, a striking group portrait. Conceptually, a powerful statement. A delicate issue nowadays, embracing death as part of life was innate in our ancestors. For them, passing away was just that: a step into a next life, a different place, or another form of existence. The photographer’s approach to the matter is surprising and very artistic: black and white, symmetry, repetition, and a focal point that speaks directly to you. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – From life to death. Chimbu Province, Papua New Guinea.

BRANDON SODER

Featuring a remarkable resemblance to a painting, this photograph is testimony to a very creative approach, art-inclined execution, and exquisite attention to detail. Nothing is left to chance in the attempt to capture the personality, spirit, and mood of the model. Light design should be commended because it is the glue that keeps everything in harmony. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Kateri Lopez, 2025 New Mexico Musician.

VERONIKA HSU

The photographer found a fresh angle to use portraiture as a vessel for societal issues and concerns. The result is a fine-art portrait, a creative representation of the effects of capitalism on the self. Gray and grainy, lacking color and substance, the portrait artfully puts together all the technical aspects required to show how the human element is crushed. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – The price of identity/This work examines how capitalism, consumerism, and conformity in the US shape identity. The coins obscure the face, reducing individuality to currency, while only one eye peers through — a reminder of the human self struggling beneath systems of value. By layering money over my self-portrait, the image questions how much of my identity is masked, priced, or standardized by economic and cultural structures. It is both a critique and a mirror, reflecting the silent cost of belonging in a world driven by consumption.

GIOVANNA TONZANU

The one you are looking at is looking at you, creating an inexplicable bond with someone you see for the first time. But what catches the attention most is the overlapping of layers made of various materials that make you feel as if something is hidden from you. You can feel the energy, but something is trying very hard to hide it. Excellent choice of a color palette, so dark and glamorous at the same time. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – From a multi-year project on my family’s female identity. The images chosen here span across the evolving structure of this work, which is still in formation.

The project, titled “And you shine, though”, is a narrative search for an identity unbound by the rigid codes of conduct from which my family originates: Sardinia. It is an island of profound identity, yet one that remains, perhaps for that very reason, resistant to change.

In this isolated Mediterranean landscape, the strength of women is undeniable, fostering what could be called a Matriarchy. However, it is a silent force, operating behind the scenes, strong but kept “in secret.”

The young women of my family have, like myself, made the choice to emigrate–a bid to discover and nurture their own identities free from the island’s direct influence. Yet, a haunting question shadows their journey: Can these women truly escape the invisible thread that seeks to hold them perpetually akin to the past, while simultaneously demanding their assimilation into the endless, standardized flow of the contemporary selfie-culture?

The title is an homage to Pier Paolo Pasolini’s line, “E tu splendi, invece” (And you shine, though). It is the powerful weight of that “though”–the invece–that I strive to embody and explore through this work. It represents the light of self that insists on shining, despite the shadows of expectation and conformity.

JUAN SILVA

Subtly, portraits expose the choices that made us who we are and took us where we are today. In this interesting shot, one can hardly miss that the character sitting at the border between black and white sheep, darkness and light. The entire frame is built on contrasts (the modern clothing on someone with an ancestral occupation, perpendicular lines, bright highlights and dark shadows, etc.), proving the intentionality with which it was created. – LIFE FRAMER

VERONIKA VERBITSKAIA

The image denotes a gentle, feminine, and artful approach to portraiture. It has an undeniable personal style, a painting-like softness, and a huge dose of creativity. The light’s fall off and the model’s gaze having the same direction makes a brilliant leading line and focal point combo, adds movement, and fills the frame with warmth. So much energy from just two elements. Well done! – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – A bright stripe ahead.

MARKO KALFA

A glimpse into what life really looks like, this environmental portrait is playful and revealing. The photographer could have very well arranged the framing to leave out some of the things on display, but the result wouldn’t have been so authentic and explicit. The focal point on the subject’s face enhances the narrative and adds a bit of clarity in an otherwise very overwhelming world. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Jen, Williamsburg, Brooklyn.