Visual Storytelling Award Editors’ Picks of January 2021

“Photography is by nature a documentary art.” – August Sander

Following the results of last month’s Visual Storytelling Award judged by American photographer and VII Photo Agency member Nichole Sobecki, the editorial team wants to share some of the most compelling competition entries received throughout the month.

The competition showed a spectacular variety of storytelling narratives and skills featuring a whole range of social studies and crisis faced by many around the world. Giving voice to people and alerting the public on critical issues, fundamental social rights, and the global state of our planet.

Although we couldn’t reward every participant we would like to express our gratitude to the photographers whose dedicated work contributes to awareness and calls for action towards those most in need.

“Wedding in Time of Pandemic” - San Francisco, USA 2020
The photo was taken a few months after the COVID-19 pandemic began in a Church of San Francisco. Printed portraits represent the family and close ones that should have attended the ceremony. But at times of social distancing, the groom and bride walked down the aisle alone.
© Vicens Forns
“The Effects of global warming”- Manikganj, Bangladesh
This Upazila (an administrative region in Bangladesh) on the banks of the river Padma is on the verge of disappearing into the river. The window on the image’s background is the last remaining item of this woman’s home. Right now, she and her family have nowhere to go. Due to increasing global temperature and uncontrolled use of ground. water outbreaks appear to be exacerbated during the dry season, with crop yields declining at an alarming rate and the shortage of safe drinking water. If global temperatures were to increase by 3 to 4 degrees, which could happen by 2050, we will experience runaway global food crises, from November to March this area turns into “a valley of death”. © Sharwar Apo
“The Storming of the U.S. Capitol” - Washington, USA
A Capitol Police officer looks through a broken window as a mob tries to pry open the front door of the United States Capitol Building on January 6, 2021.
© Aaron Anfinson
“Priest in front of church doorway” - Lalibela, Ethiopia
In the many alleyways and narrow pathways between the many churches of Lalibela, seeing white-clad priests walking in the shaded brown walkways and paths is a very normal occurrence and one which can be almost hypnotic and amazingly beautiful. © Marios Forsos
“Portrait of a Kirghiz women with red veil” - Kyrgyzstan
Kirghiz women never part with their veil: red for single women and white for married women. It seems impossible that in those conditions of life there is so much grace and strength. © Chiara Felmini
“The Lonely Shepherd” - Sibillini mountains, Italy
Giorgio is a Romanian shepherd living and working in the Sibillini mountains, Italy. His story is a story of sacrifice and loneliness. Giorgio spends his entire day with his flock of sheep, in completely seclusion. His poor family lives in Romania and he sends every month his salary to his wife and kids. © Francesco Saverio Lopazio
“Drought of Hope” - Bangladesh
Drought, which occurs in nearly all regions, has affected more people worldwide in the last 40 years than any other natural hazard. It is a complex natural phenomenon with varying levels of intensity, duration, spatial extent and impacts. Severe drought episodes have drastic socio-economic and environmental impacts, including, for example, massive famines and migration, natural resource degradation, and weak economic performance. Agriculture is the first sector affected when drought hits and also the most affected sector, absorbing up to 80 percent of all direct impacts, with multiple effects on agricultural production, food security and rural livelihoods. © Sujon Adhikary
“Flakes collector” - Dhaka shipyard, Bangladesh
Life here has a circular flow, in the morning the workers get up, then the shifts begin and men are all busy demolishing old shipwrecks coming from all over the world, the metal is cut, worked, melted and again transformed. Only the metal here changes life, these men don’t, they are always here, every day. Dhaka Shipyard by the river Buriganga, on the outskirt of Dhaka, is one of the leading shipyards in Bangladesh. Shipbuilding yards in Bangladesh are now exporting small and medium-sized ships for the highly competitive European market. From series ”A journey into Indian Steel foundries” © Nicola Ducati
“Untitled” - New Mexico, USA 2020
A cemetery in New Mexico showing century-old tombstones adjacent to a recently built refinery. A powerful and subjective visual correlation between life, death, and the power of man. © Mike Murphy
“Grace Wanjiru , Eburru’s oldest farmer.” - Kenya
Grace Wanjiru, born in 1934, is Eburru’s oldest pyrethrum farmer. Her job was to harvest the pyrethrum. In Kenya, mechanization is not possible because the plant is farmed in the hills. The cleaning of the pyrethrum is done once every 2 weeks, strictly by hand. In the 1980s, Kenya’s annual production of pyrethrum reached almost 30 thousand tons. Production declined to drop to a mere 200 tons in 2016. Today the demand for natural pyrethrum is rising again. © Vito Fusco

Published February 16, 2021 - Congratulations to all selected artists: Vicens Forns, Sharwar Apo, Aaron Anfinson, Marios Forsos, Chiara Felmini, Francesco Saverio Lopazio, Sujon Adhikary, Nicola Ducati, Mike Murphy, Vito Fusco,

color street photo of man and reflection by Douglas Rivera

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