WINNERS

Unconditional

  • Photographer
    Bing Lu, China
  • Prize
    Honorable Mention

A portrait series of strangers encountered on the public spaces during my time living in the United States. The work explores human connection and the complexities of contemporary lives. Driven by a personal attempt to understand what it means to be human while feeling ambivalent toward ideas of universality, I challenge inherited assumptions and social boundaries, approaching strangers with openness, empathy, and curiosity. These portraits reveal grace, resilience, and shared humanity, calling reflection on how we might continue to see one another beyond fear, judgement, and categorization.