2025 ZEKE Awards Winners

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ZEKE Awards winners explore the stories of Galicia, reflecting the community’s struggle to adapt and endure in the face of change, and how thirty years after the 1994 Rwandan genocide, survivors and perpetrators have forged remarkable partnerships in a profound journey of reconciliation and healing.

335 Years a Home: 40 Years a Museum Celebrating the Alice Austen House

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A photographic celebration of the 40th anniversary of Alice Austen House Museum.

70 Years of World Press Photo

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Unpacking seven decades of photojournalism through the World Press Photo archive in six themes: women weeping, fire and smoke, MEN RESCUING, Black Skin, Silhouettes and Shadows, and The Wow Moment.

A gunshot—then “a miracle”

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Skye McBride, age 3, accidentally shot herself in the head with her father’s revolver—and survived. This is the story of her recovery.

AEROGLYPH

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AEROGLYPH is a solo exhibition by Reuben Wu featuring light-based landscape works that merge technology and nature—transforming remote environments into otherworldly scenes through drone light interventions and photography.

Albee Square Mall and Downtown Brooklyn 1980-1989 | Celebrating 50 Years of Jamel Shabazz Photography

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A reflective memoir capturing the golden era of Hip-Hop culture through the lens of renowned, iconic documentarian photographer, Jamel Shabazz.

Alice Austen and Friends

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An exhibition exploring Alice Austen’s intimate friendships.

Alice Austen and the Natural World

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An exhibition of Alice Austen’s nature photography from the Victorian era.

B-Migrant

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B-Migrant tells the story of Venezuelan breakers who left their country not just for survival, but for art, using breaking as a lifeline to find recognition, opportunities, and community while uplifting others through Hip Hop culture in Latin America.

BALTIC WAY – SOFT RESISTANCE

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Baltic Way as Soft Resistance commemorates the 35th anniversary of the Baltic Chain—a peaceful political demonstration that united approximately two million people across Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in a human chain spanning over 600 kilometers.

Bats—A Love Story

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Dazzling in flight, mysteriously resistant to disease, and vital to ecosystems around the globe—bats are a scientific wonder.

Between Here & There

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An intimate glimpse into the Palestinian American experience during this tumultuous and devastating time of collective grief.

Beyond Bison: Returning Land to the Original Stewards

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The return of the National Bison Range to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes is a powerful example of landback in action, restoring Indigenous stewardship, cultural heritage, and ecological balance.

Bodega Boys

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As most New Yorkers have a long, loving, and even passionate relationship with what they call “their” local bodega, Mahka Eslami’s Bodega Boys series intimately portrays the many members of the Yemeni-American community in Brooklyn who operate these colorful cornerstones of the New York experience.

Boy Wonder

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Boy Wonder invites viewers into a nostalgic exploration of boyhood through photography. With a focus on the unrestrained imagination, fearless energy, and creative spirit of childhood, the series celebrates the magic of make-believe, playful rebellion, and the joy of discovery. Through powerful visuals, it offers a tender reflection on resilience, innocence, and the wonder that defined our early years.

Cafecito: A Proclamation of Presence

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As photography fragments and evolves in our post-truth space, Cafecito: A Proclamation of Presence celebrates image-makers who boldly proclaim their stories through their visual language, asserting presence & power while weaving threads of understanding between communities.

Capturing Beauty

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Capturing Beauty is a project that aims to empower and build community at A-Tech High School through the art of portraiture.

Dance Evolution at Orchard Beach

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The photo essay depicts the early days of Breaking and the dance styles that it evolved from.

Dear Bernard – Letters to Our Senior Dogs

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A heartfelt tribute capturing the deep bond between New Yorkers and their senior dogs through poignant images and love-filled letters.

Divine Identity

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Inspired by other artists’ images of modern day saints and references to traditional religious iconography, Divine Identity celebrates the sacredness of queer folks of faith by transforming their portraits into icons.

 

The views and opinions expressed in this exhibit are those of the exhibition artists and partners and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Photoville or any other participants and partners of the Photoville Festival.

Duality

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Duality takes viewers on an emotional journey through high schoolers’ experiences as they navigate the complexities of self-discovery while managing the demands of academics, friendships, and future aspirations.

Empty Bedrooms

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The empty bedrooms of Israelis kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023, remain frozen in time—some still bearing the marks of violence and struggle from the day that ignited the Israel-Hamas war.

 

Ezy Ryders: History & Tradition, Heart & Soul

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Ezy Ryders: History & Tradition, Heart & Soul is a celebration of life on two wheels, tailing New York City’s Black motorcycle clubs through photographs and interviews.

Flight of the Monarchs

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Each year these iconic butterflies undertake one of the most extraordinary—and increasingly dangerous—journeys on the planet. Now, scientists and citizens are joining forces to help them thrive.

Getting To and Through

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Handmade collages made in attempt to convey emotions and experiences that may feel inexpressible.

Growing With the Landscape Side by Side

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Growing With the Landscape Side by Side, weaves a natural setting of hope and resilience to the local landscape of Staten Island, and its regrowth since the Clean Water Act of 1972.

H E L L D R I L L

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HELL DRILL, How Do You Prepare for a School Shooting was a simulated mass casualty shooting at a Long Island, New York, high school intended to train first responders about the agonizing choices they would face during a real shooting spree.

HER2: Alone, Together

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HER2: Alone, Together is a visual narrative about cancer under 50, told through the unique perspectives of the diagnosed and the caregiver. Through photography, text, and self-portraiture, it reveals the emotional complexities of illness, love, and survival.

Heritage in Focus

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Heritage in Focus was launched in 2022 as an innovative fellowship offering emerging photographers the opportunity to document historic places and their stewards.

Hollowed Out

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Among the rural communities in northern Appalachia, where Pittsburgh gas giant EQT Corporation operates, the harsh realities of gas extraction hit home. Supported by the Pulitzer Center, photographer Quinn Glabicki documents how often invisible pollution harms local families, jeopardizing their health and homes.

How Shall We Greet the Sun

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How Shall We Greet the Sun by Thana Faroq intimately explores the emotional lives of young women refugees in the Netherlands. Combining photography and textual narratives, it reveals identities continuously reshaped by memory, migration, and the pursuit of belonging.

Hydroponic Cyanotypes

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The all-girls photography club at the Urban Assembly Institute of Math and Science for Young Women creates cyanotypes with hydroponic lab equipment in an effort to artfully catalog the plants that are growing at their school.

ICP at THE POINT: MANY MIRRORS

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Based in the South Bronx and launched in 1997, the program is a year-round collaboration that teaches analog and digital photography, critical thinking, writing, and public speaking with the goal of fostering self-esteem, community development, and social change.

In This Together

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In This Together brings us images of Eddie Adams Workshop alumni, exploring the many ways community evolves and how connection shapes our lives.

Inside New York’s Migrant Shelters: Fear, Joy, and Hope

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New York City has spent over $6 billion since 2022 to shelter people arriving from the US-Mexico border. More than 225,000 migrants have lived in shelters that became a tapestry of cultures, blending into the city while living mostly out of sight. But inside the shelters, life has flourished.

Kids of the Garage

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Kids of the Garage is a retro-inspired documentary series by the Issaquah High School Photo Club, capturing the raw energy and nostalgia of teenage life in 2025. Through candid street photography, it revives the timeless essence of youth, friendship, and creative expression.

Kwëtkihëna Lënapehòkink: We Will Return to the Land of the Lenape

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A photo essay about the Lenape people who are indigenous to the land New York City was built upon.

Legacy of Lies, El Salvador 1981-1984

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This collection of photographs offers a visual historical record of the first years of El Salvador’s civil war, the foundational period forcing Salvadoran civilians to flee north that created the chaos and confusion at the border with Mexico and the United States.

Lessons from Newtok

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Lessons from Newtok is a pen pal project that invites young people from Newtok, Alaska and Provincetown, Massachusetts to evaluate the impacts of climate change on their communities through photography and writing.

Long Distance

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Long Distance features three projects about travel, distance, and connection created by members of the SVA MPS Digital Photography community – a current student, an alum, and a faculty member.

Migration and Movement

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ICP’s Photoville exhibition Migation and Movement highlights new work by Lucia Buricelli and Jutharat ‘Poupay’ Pinyodoonyachet, both alumni of ICP’s One-Year Certificate Programs.

Mister Rogers, Is Your Neighbor Worth Loving?

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Fred McFeely Rogers was an inspiring presence on public television in Pittsburgh, PA, for over 30 years. At the center of his message to children was this: you are valuable—each and every one of you—regardless of your age or height, your race or religion, your abilities or challenges.

Nacòx

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Nacòx (Salmon) focuses on the Nez Perce Tribe, whose way of life is inseparable from the nearly eradicated salmon of the Snake River—underscoring their ongoing fight for their treaty rights and tribal sovereignty.

Nature Seen with Lifestyles For The Disabled

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Nature Seen with Lifestyles For The Disabled. Highlights from the photography program.

New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, Department of Photography & Imaging: BFA Thesis Exhibition

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The 2025 DPI BFA Thesis Exhibition presents 42 artistic thesis projects that go above and beyond traditional notions of the photograph, blurring the lines between mediums, materials, and fields of knowledge to redefine what it means to be a photographer, an artist, and a student in a constantly evolving world.

NPPA Best of Photojournalism 2025

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National Press Photographers Association is proud to present to you the Best of Photojournalism—images, stories, videos, and presentations that illuminate and resonate.

Omnibus

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Omnibus is a group exhibition by current Parsons MFA Photography students that explores the poetics of shared movement and collective experience, using photography as a means to reflect on the fleeting, layered moments in which lives intersect.

Out of Gaza

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Samar Abu Elouf, born and raised in the Gaza Strip, photographed badly wounded Gazans who made it out for treatment. Many can think of little but the dead they left behind. “We wanted to go with them, too,” one child told her.

Permanent Vacation

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Welcome to Permanent Vacation, a portrait of my parents’ lives as Asian American retirees and seniors living in Florida. This ongoing family project offers a glimpse into my parents’ peaceful yet highly active lives as seniors while broadening the ideas of aging and our sense of place and belonging in the world.

Picturing the Water

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From the harbor views of Austen’s front doorstep to the international waters of her extensive travels, Picturing the Water explores Austen’s deep connection to waterways and the vessels that traverse them.

Pieces of You

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Self-taught artist Lauren Camara creates intricate paper-based art inspired by people and their stories, transforming everyday moments into bold, graphic compositions.

Pit Bull Flower Power

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For her acclaimed Pit Bull Flower Power series, Sophie Gamand photographed adoptable shelter pit bulls. The portraits led to countless adoptions, and spurred efforts to destigmatize an animal whose reputation for violence might say more about humans than the dogs themselves.

Renewing the Spirit of San Francisco

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Renewing the Spirit of San Francisco commemorates the historic signing of the UN Charter on June 26, 1945 (which heralded a new era of global cooperation and a decisive turn towards peace) and explores the Charter’s legacy and enduring significance in creating a more stable, equitable future.

Rescuing History

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Kurdistan, Somaliland, and Kosovo have rich histories, but decades of conflict jeopardize their preservation. These unsung heroes persevere to save their cultural heritage.

Riografías: Women Healers of Alto Baudó // Riografías: Mujeres sanadoras del Alto Baudó

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For Riografías: Women Healers of Alto Baudó, photographer Fernanda Pineda and intercultural mediators of Doctors Without Borders worked with women in remote Colombian communities terrorized by armed groups to ritually rebuild the places that violence has broken.  //  Para Riografías: Mujeres sanadoras del Alto Baudó, la fotógrafa Fernanda Pineda y mediadores interculturales de Médicos Sin Fronteras trabajaron con mujeres en comunidades colombianas remotas aterrorizadas por grupos armados para reconstruir ritualmente los lugares que la violencia ha roto.

SAHY RANO

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SAHY RANO features portraits of eight Malagasy women impacted by female genital schistosomiasis. By bringing their faces to the forefront, this series seeks to challenge taboos, confront neglect, and break the silence surrounding women’s reproductive health.

School Shootings in America

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School Shootings In America is meant to highlight the facts around America’s firearms and profile some of the thousands of young people and families who have been affected by school shootings since the Columbine massacre in 1999.

Seen Before the Scene: A Location Scout’s View

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Seen Before the Scene: A Location Scout’s View showcases scouts’ stunning images of New York City, taking you on a visual tour through every neighborhood.

Sunday Leagues: The Meadow in Motion

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Sunday Leagues: The Meadow in Motion is a photographic project capturing the energy, passion, and community of soccer in Flushing Meadows Park, where working-class immigrants compete, reconnect with their roots, and find belonging in NYC.

Teeth of the Wolf

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Teeth of the Wolf traces an obscure group of post-Civil War vigilantes as a method to investigate militia violence in the United States today.

Thank You For Your Service?

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These photocollages explore how memory of my military service experiences, culminating in frustration, anger, and violence, led to emotional withdrawal and physical stress.

The Arcimboldo Series

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Klaus Enrique’s The Arcimboldo Series brings a fantasy back to life.

The Loss Mother’s Stone

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The Loss Mother’s Stone by Nancy Borowick is a poignant and intimate photo essay that explores the emotional devastation experienced by mothers who have had stillbirths, highlighting their grief, resilience, and the complex journeys of loss and healing.

The New Black West: Photographs from America’s Only Touring Black Rodeo

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As long as there have been cowboys, there have been Black cowboys. The New Black West celebrates the modern Black cowboys of the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo and the community that comes together to witness their achievements year after year.

The World’s Most Remote Film Festival

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In the heart of the Sahara Desert in Southern Algeria, the FiSahara Human Rights Film Festival celebrated its 18th edition in 2024. Set in the Sahrawi refugee camps, it transforms a remote and challenging environment into a platform for cultural resilience and human rights advocacy.

Through Her Lens: Women Rising for Peace

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As we mark the 25th anniversary of the Women, Peace and Security agenda, discover the resilience, leadership, and courage of women and their allies advancing peace in conflict-affected communities across the globe, captured by local women photographers.

Unfinished Business

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This exhibition from The 19th spotlights the people behind the headlines—those on the frontlines of today’s most urgent political battles, from reproductive care to trans rights.

Unity Through Diversity

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The sixth Annual Leica Women Foto Project Award, themed Unity Through Diversity, recognizes outstanding female photographers who explore human connection in divisive times through compelling visual storytelling.

USA 3.0

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USA 3.0 is a visual journalism project that captures and interprets American history in real time, marking this historical period and preserving a record of the past and present and for future generations.

We the Creators, by VSCO

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In honor of the creative spirit that persists within all of us, VSCO has partnered with eleven global community members from Brazil to Japan to create the We the Creators (WE) preset series. Each preset reflects a distinctive color story, a specific style, a way of seeing the world.

What we inherit

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What we inherit is an artistic exploration of my Japanese heritage using images of kimonos and scrapbooks from the 1930s-60s that I inherited from my grandparents.

WHERE ROSES GROW: A Look At Rómulo Lachatañeré’s Harlem

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This exhibition pays homage to the rich history and culture of New York City’s Latino and Caribbean communities, as seen in Harlem through the lens of Afro-Cuban photographer, Rómulo Lachatañeré, between 1947 and 1951.

Whilst the world sleeps

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The images in Whilst the world sleeps were created late at night using Play-Doh, an empty wine bottle as a rolling pin, a knife, and a chopping board—they present an alternative and accessible photographic history.

Why Is It So Hard to Find a Therapist Who Takes Insurance?

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ProPublica’s Why I Left The Network answers the question of what causes so many providers to leave their insurance networks. ProPublica spoke with over 200 providers, who each shared the moment when they made the painful decision to leave.

Witness to a Century

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Leica Camera celebrates a momentous milestone in the world of photography: a century since the introduction of the first mass-produced Leica camera.

ZERO HUNGER

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The United Nations aims to achieve the “Zero Hunger” goal by 2030. The project emphasizes an innovative and sustainable solution to the growing food crisis: exploiting the potential of insects as a source of protein.