HUMANS INSPIRATIONAL GALLERY

COMPETITION JUDGED BY GMB AKASH

GMB Akash is a Bangladeshi documentary photographer whose work centres on capturing the essence of people living on the edges of society around the world. Known for his deeply human approach to visual storytelling, his photographs focus on dignity, resilience and the emotional realities of everyday life.

Working across long-term projects, Akash documents social inequality, labour, migration and survival, often spending extended periods with his subjects to build trust and understanding. His images have been widely featured in publications such as Vogue, TIME, Der Spiegel, The Guardian, The Economist and Marie Claire, and have been recognized with major awards, including honours from World Press Photo, the Lucie Awards, PDN and UNESCO. He is a regular juror, public speaker, reviewer, workshop leader and teacher, founding his own non-profit Institute of Photography in Bangladesh in 2013.

Human experience lies at the core of Akash’s practice. With an unwavering focus on empathy, his work offers a powerful reminder of photography’s ability to connect us to one another, inspiring us to strive for a more just and equitable world.

IMAGES © GMB AKASH

BLACK & WHITE INSPIRATIONAL GALLERY

COMPETITION JUDGED BY ANDREA MODICA

Andrea Modica is an American photographer, Guggenheim Fellow, Fulbright Scholar and Professor of Photography at Drexel University, celebrated for her intimate, emotionally resonant black & white images that explore vulnerability, memory and the complexity of human relationships.

Working exclusively in platinum, making contact prints from 8×10″ negatives, her photographs – whether on the topic of Catholic school girls, minor league baseball, horse clinics or smalltown family life – are marked by a quiet intensity and deep psychological presence. Her work is held in major museum collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the J. Paul Getty Museum. Her influential books are widely regarded as landmark contributions to contemporary photographic portraiture.

Black & white lies at the core of Modica’s practice – not as a stylistic choice, but as a means of distilling emotion, form and connection. Her sustained engagement with the medium’s expressive possibilities makes her a perfect judge for a theme dedicated to black & white.

IMAGES © ANDREA MODICA

TRAVEL INSPIRATIONAL GALLERY

COMPETITION JUDGED BY MICHAEL YAMASHITA

Michael Yamashita is an American–Japanese visual storyteller and National Geographic regular, whose career spans more than four decades and six continents. He combines deep cultural insight, historical awareness and aesthetic sensibility to portray people, places and landscapes with nuance and respect.

Born in San Francisco and raised in New Jersey, Yamashita travelled to Japan after college, immersing himself in Asian languages and culture – a formative period that inspired a lifelong passion for exploring distant lands. Over the years he has produced dozens of stories, covering regions from the Tibetan Plateau and the Mekong River to remote villages, historic trade routes and natural wonders around the world.

A TED-X speaker, sought-after lecturer, and instructor at photo workshops, universities, and conferences worldwide, he is both a passionate photographer and ambassador for the medium, garnering him awards from institutions such as Pictures of the Year, the New York Art Directors Club, and the Asian American Journalists Association. Yamashita’s work he reveals how geography, history and humanity intersect, combining an experienced eye, a strong narrative instinct, and an insatiable wanderlust.

IMAGES © MICHAEL YAMASHITA