The winners and commendations are as follows:

Overall Winner
Author: Imogen Barnes
Title: ‘A ticket to Trabiwelt’
Location: Berlin
Date: March 2024

Imogen says: "I took this photo just around the corner from Berlin’s famous Checkpoint Charlie during a walking tour. We were passing through this part of the city quite quickly since it was nearly the end of our tour, and after 3 hours of walking in the freezing cold, people were eager to get inside. As we were leaving, the front façade of Trabiworld (a museum on the iconic East German car, the Trabant) caught my eye, as I almost mistook the mannequin on the right for a real person! I loved how so much of the sky was still visible behind the figure, despite us being slap bang in the centre of the city. Its early evening hue added a beautiful softness to the other elements and buildings in view, almost making it look as though the mannequin were sat back and watching dusk fall alongside us."

 
Overall Commended
Author: James Mair
Title: ‘Hotel Uzbekistan’
Location: Uzbekistan
Date: May 2024

James says: "Before travelling to Central Asia, I had been gifted the photo book Soviet Asia: Soviet Modernist Architecture in Central Asia by Roberto Conte and Stefano Porego. This book essentially became my bible and on weekends or after Russian class I would take myself to the brutalist marvels scattered around Bishkek as sort of a mini adventure, discovering new and often random parts of the city in my quest. The pièce de résistance of Soviet modernist architecture in Central Asia has to be the Hotel Uzbekistan on Amir Timur square in Tashkent, where I found myself travelling after finishing the language school. This monolith dominates the square with its intricate concrete facade of interlocking squares, copper shaded windows and sleek form, all of which protect the rooms from the glaring summer heat. Once the most glamorous destination in all of Central Asia, today the hotel is somewhat of a fossil. Walking into the reception, I was struck by the ubiquitous smell of cigarette smoke and dated '70s decor that had been half-heartedly ‘rectified’ through an early noughties renovation. Nonetheless, the place had a distinctive charm to it and I couldn’t help wishing that I had stayed here instead, so that I could order a cocktail from the rooftop bar and fantasise about the place in its heyday—all for a fairly modest price too!

People

Winner
Author: Olivia Blydenstein
Title: ‘Kaki’s Chapel’
Location: Georgia
Date: June 2024

Olivia says: "This photo was taken in Racha, an area of Georgia filled with hundred of mountains and valleys. Kaki, who lives with his aunt in their guesthouse, offered to take us around the mountain where the house stands. He called the hillside his back garden. On a walk to their ‘stadium’ (an enourmous open glade where he and his cousins used to play football), through the enchanted forest, across a glacial river and to where the local bears apparently hold their picnics, Kaki showed us a whole world sitting on their mountainside. On the way back to the house, Kaki took us to the chapel, a small wooden building between the glade and the forest. Over time the chapel has been filled with orthodox icons, paintings, carving and tapestries by locals, and generations have come here to pray since before he can remember. Georgian chapels are often filled with candles which visitors have lit in prayer. The nearby village is incredibly small now, with very few people who still live there all year around. There were no candles burning when we entered the chapel, so Kaki tidied away the burned wicks and lit a new candle."

 
Commended
Author: Hebe Jackson
Title: ‘Mexican Independence’
Location: Mexico
Date: September 2023

Hebe says: "The celebration of Mexican Independence was a dizzying mix of music from the mariachis and tequila passed around the table, culminating in the 11pm ‘grito’ when the municipal presidents of cities across the country stand out on their balconies and recite a shout of patriotism loosely based on the original call to arms by Miguel Hidalgo that triggered the War of Independence. It was a real privilege to be a part of the celebrations, which marked both the beginning and end to my Year Abroad in Mexico as I was there in both September 2023 and 2024. I couldn’t not capture it in a photo."

 
Places of Interest

Winner
Author: Elizabeth Bratton
Title: ‘La Marcha por la Diversidad’
Location: Palacio Legislativo, Montevideo, Uruguay
Date: September 2023

Elizabeth says: "I took this photo during the annual “Diversity” march in Montevideo, Uruguay. The event is the equivalent of Pride in other countries, and I actually only stumbled upon it by accident and decided to follow the crowds out of curiosity. Thousands of people participated in the march, and there was a beautiful balance struck between joyful celebration and sombre acknowledgement of the plight of the LGBT+ community. Walking towards the imposing Legislative Palace, completely unintentionally caught behind this enormous pride flag,  was an experience too fantastic not to photograph!

"One of the most poignant moments of the march came towards the end, when I noticed that the once-lively and noisy crowds became completely silent and applause broke out. I realised that we were walking through a memorial to the “Desaparecidos” who were forcibly disappeared during the Uruguayan dictatorship; people had lined the streets with photographs of the victims of the regime and their names.

"The entire experience was both very powerful and extremely moving."

 
Commended
Author: Hebe Jackson
Title: ‘Mountains amid the Cityscape’
Location: Mexico
Date: August 2024

Hebe says: "Monterrey was one of the places I visited that most surprised me. Having been told that it was ‘just an industrial city’ with ‘not much to do,’ I had arrived in Monterrey to visit a friend for the weekend, travelling from the southernmost point of Mexico, where I had been based during the Year Abroad, to the northernmost. I wasn’t expecting much but was absolutely stunned by the landscapes. As an avid climber, I had to get myself to the top of the mountains that break out from the cityscape. The views were just breath-taking and it felt like a very special moment to reflect on how travelling to places people don’t necessarily sing the praises of, may really be worth your time."

 
The Unexpected

Winner
Author: Doa Ackigun
Title: ‘Caught in a storm’
Location: Argentina
Date: February 2024

Doa says: "I took this photograph in the province of Jujuy in Argentina, at La Quebrada de las Señoritas, a red rock desert with beautiful landscapes and rock formations throughout. I was on a road trip through the provinces of Salta and Jujuy with a friend I had met at university back in Buenos Aires. We went to the region during the wet season which meant lots of rain and flooded roads. As we were hiking through the desert, we could see this storm approaching. It felt quite ominous to me, being out in the open desert with a big, dark cloud approaching, and that feeling, coupled with the beautiful contrast between the bright red of the rock and the blueish-grey hue of the storm cloud prompted me to take this photo."

 
Commended
Author: Imogen Barnes
Title: ‘Scattered Melodies’
Location: Berlin
Date: March 2024

Imogen says: "I took this photo as I was walking through the Friedrichshain neighbourhood of Berlin, a trendy part of the city known for its art and nightlife. I wasn’t sure whether what I’d stumbled on was some unfortunate accident or an avant-garde art piece, but I knew it felt emblematic of where I was at any rate! The case and its many strewn tapes were spilled onto the corner of two streets home to some great record shops, so it somehow felt fitting that music had quite literally been scattered on the pavement here."