Announcing the Winners of The Emerging Photography Awards

I want to thank everyone who submitted to The Feature Shoot Emerging Photography Awards. We had many amazing entries, and I’m always astounded by the myriad of ways photographers tell stories with such creativity and diverse perspectives.

While each project stands on its own with unique themes, together, they emphasize our shared struggles, triumphs, and connections. From issues of displacement and illness to the search for identity, this year's winning photographers present relatable stories that emphasize our interconnectedness.

We are excited to announce that the following photographers will be showing their projects at Clamp Gallery in Chelsea, NY, on August 30. You can RSVP here for free.

Congratulations to: 

Jonathan Jasberg - “Cairo: A Beautiful Thing Is Never Perfect”

“The title of the project borrows from an ancient Egyptian proverb: 'A Beautiful Thing Is Never Perfect.' With these candid photographs that are far from perfect—sometimes messy, grainy, and rushed—through the spontaneity of a mix of classic and contemporary candid photography styles, I aim to show moments of joy, sadness, quirkiness, and hope. To not only show a glimpse of the complexity of Cairo and the lives of the people who live there but also include moments that, even if we come from a completely different background, we can relate to, smile at, empathize with, and appreciate the shared beauty and complexity of life.

“A beautiful thing is never perfect.” —Jonathan Jasberg

Ariana Gomez - ”My Mother Speaks of Land as Memory”

“My mother speaks of plants. To her, we are created with roots that snake down into the deep, dark earth inserting themselves like veins into our hearts, into our souls. For her, this is truly home, a soul home. And hers has never been Texas. You see, she was uprooted. Her soul home is Puerto Rico, the place she only remembers as a small child when everything is towering, and colors are the most vivid. Her roots tore as she boarded a plane at eight years old, never to return. She speaks of unlived lives in the lush watery world where she last thrived.” —Ariana Gomez

Chinky Shukla - “When Buddha stopped smiling”

“Tucked away in a scorching side of Pokhran, a township in the north-western province of Rajasthan in India, is an ugly story of a nation's atomic might. In the summer of 1974 on Buddha’s birth anniversary, India blasted its way into the world's consciousness by testing a nuclear device. It was heard, but in that loud rumble of earth, triggered by a series of nuclear explosions, generations lost their voice. The desert dwellers of Pokhran are still paying the price of India's nuclear story that unfolded in the sand dunes nearby.” —Chinky Shukla

This work is supported by the National Geographic Explorer grant.

Yusuf Eminoğlu - “The Aquatic Ceremony”

“In the harsh winters of Güroymak/Bitlis/Türkiye, the local children have turned the cold January days into a ritual of their own, finding warmth and joy in the natural thermal waters. As they bathe their horses and buffaloes, the striking contrast between the freezing air and the soothing warmth creates moments of playful delight. For these children, this place is more than just a washing spot; it becomes a stage filled with fun and exuberance.

“This photo series offers a glimpse into a lifestyle that thrives outside the bounds of the modern world, rooted deeply in the heart of nature. It captures how the children and their animals embrace the opportunities provided by the natural thermal springs. Each photograph tells a story of resilience and community, where the simplicity of their ritual holds a deeper meaning.” —Yusuf Eminoğlu

Natalia Kondratenko - “On the other side”

“On this stage, there are no actors. My imagination comes forward into the light. Everything that I cannot express in the real world. Why? Because freedom is needed, but it remains only in my imagination.” —Natalia Kondratenko

NC Hernández - “No Se Vende”

These photos explore the world of underground, female, and gay cabaret singers and burlesque performers in Mexico City, set against the backdrop of an abandoned 19th-century mansion in the Centro Historico. The juxtaposition of subaltern realities and decaying Victorian sensibilities invites the viewer to ponder notions of otherness and opulence, and the beauty of the absurd. The subjects are both underground cult figures in Mexico City and famous not only for their songs and performance but also for their elaborate stage costumes that explore themes of transgressive sexualities, internalized colonialism, and traditional Mexican art.—NC Hernández

Naohiro Maeda - “You must believe in spring”

“This project is about exploring my unreliable narrative as an immigrant, as someone alien to a new territory. My work integrates photography and embroidery, creating unique pieces that deconstruct and reconstruct landscape imagery. I capture photos during car journeys, often with my partner driving. I then digitally manipulate these raw images, employing excessive image correction tools("retouch" and "blend" functions) until they lose their single vanishing point.

“Once the digital manipulation is complete, I print the images on matte photo paper and begin an intricate process of hand embroidery. This step involves making hundreds of white knots on the inkjet print surface, a technique inspired by Sashiko, a traditional Japanese embroidery method used to mend and reinforce garments.” —Naohiro Maeda

Antonio Denti - “Notes From the Edge. Vol. 1”

“'Notes from the Edge' is a photographic exploration of the incredible times we are living. Times when the old world seems to have ended, but the new world doesn't seem to be here yet. Times of transition, turmoil, unknown. Times of excitement and terror, forward leaps, and violent recoils. This strong tide - which seems very difficult to control and also even to understand - involves human lives at multiple levels, from macro to micro: history, economy, climate, inner feelings, and human connections.

“'Notes from the Edge' tries to catch a glimpse of it at as many different levels and in different situations as possible. The constant element is a feeling that human lives have been put to the edges of what we were used to by fierce and momentous developments.” —Antonio Denti

Ludwig Nikulski - Pod Palmami – Under the Palm Trees

“Palm trees – most people associate them with the South Seas, vacations and relaxation. Where no one would expect to find the tropical tree: Along the Ukrainian border. The work POD PALMAMI – UNDER THE PALM TREES explores the question of how the presence of the Russian war of aggression is tangible in its absence. In Ukraine‘s neighboring countries, the war is closer than ever. And yet it remains mostly invisible.

“This project is a visualization of Ukraine‘s western external borders and a photographic document of a changing area – the geographical line that currently separates Europe from the war. The photographs were taken between 2022 and 2024 with an analog large-format camera in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, the Russian separatist state of Transnistria, and the autonomous region of Gagauzia.

“While the war in Ukraine rages in the background of this work, I was always also looking for other realities happening at the same time. The plastic palm trees on the military outpost of a vacation village in Poland; a beautifully dressed woman in a Romanian Orthodox monastery next to a vacuum cleaner; a broken-down car drowning in the floodwaters at a diner in Slovakia as if it were sleeping in the Mississippi; the song Life is Life playing on the radio while bushes scrape the outside of our car as the driver dodges potholes at high speed on the road to Odessa; or simply the beautiful landscape of a riverbank in the dim morning light in Moldova that is forbidden to photograph. This work is my note of that time.” —Ludwig Nikulski

Gleb Simonov - “Coronal”

“The American myth of the dark forest is largely an inherited European narrative, formed in a different age, culture, and, most importantly, a different ecosystem. Yet this myth is still projected onto the modern young, often unsustainable monoculture forests that are largely the results of reforestation, their histories openly visible in the land: one can identify plow terraces, lack of pillows and deadfall, uneven numbers of older and younger trees — all pointing either to agriculture, pasture land, or clear cuts. What, then, is a ‘true’ forest?

“Old Growth is a series of fragments of late seral forests in virgin, disturbed, and modified states. In equal measure, it focuses on ecosystems and infrastructure — trails, elevated platforms, service roads, signage, remnants of past use — all the different levels of intervention created to manage the forest and accommodate the visitors. It is also, to some degree, a study of sacred groves and the similarities between protected forest land and traditional temples — explored in a separate series of poems, still somewhat of a work in progress.” —Gleb Simonov

Jordan Tiberio - “You Have Touched Me, and I Have Grown”

“You Have Touched Me, and I Have Grown” is an unreleased project created in August 2022 at a residency in the French village of Orquevaux. It is a visual love letter to womanhood that explores the transformative value of relationships between women, how these bonds shape our personal growth, and how they encourage bodily autonomy.

“During the creation of the work, I was grappling with the suffocating weight of a toxic, five-year relationship, whose codependent orbit I felt powerlessly trapped within. The residency granted me respite from this dynamic, immersing me in a centuries-old, idyllic village in the company of 16 strangers– all women– from various walks of life. While listening to my peers share stories of their own experiences, I came to understand that independence was not a daunting prospect but a liberating path forward.” —Jordan Tiberio

Maria Oliveira - “Bone Foam”

“There is a pagan and earthly dimension that hovers over all things and cannot be ignored. The earth is touched by the whole body. By invoking my ancestry, familial, physical, and spiritual - the place from where we start - I understand that the cycles get closer, and they flow naturally. The transient movement can be magical and mysterious. The feminine presence is constant and intense. Women generate, create, kill and feed. The bodies of the things and the people are not forgotten. They find a place to land and remain there, ajar in time.

“Between connection and encounter, I recognize that we are a part of the larger scale of things, where what we know and what we don't know fit. It seems to me that we are not exceptional. Everything that exists part from us and is part of us.” — Maria Oliveira

Patricia Fortlage - “Lemonade - The Duality that is Chronic Disease”

“This is my story about life with chronic disease and disability. I would like it to serve as a love letter to the chronic illness community… especially the women who are most gaslighted by medical professionals and others in our communities at large. This is a photographic fine art series with careful attention to raising women up in the process. You see, I, myself, have a life-threatening illness. It is called Myasthenia Gravis, and it has thrown me into the deep end of what life is like for women with disabilities/chronic diseases.

“I would like to show that there is still beauty here and power, and fight.That I have much yet to offer. Yes, there are challenges, and there are truly gruesome moments… and some of that is shared as well…, but I mostly aim to shine a spotlight on the resilience, fighting spirit, and BEAUTY that still lives within me. There is even a bit of humor. I attempt to make lemonade out of lemons each and every day, and I want to shine a special focus on that duality. In keeping with what drives me as an artist, my hope with this project is to educate and inspire.” —Patricia Fortlage

Olga Steinepreis - “I've had a dream...”

“I’ve been on maternity leave for nine years, the last three of which I've been a mother of three children. My daily grind seems endless, and it absorbs me. I am trying to be a good wife to my husband and a good mother to my children. At least, I attempt to conform to these roles. I cook and strive to keep the house tidy, not to say I’ve been burying myself into books that deal with child psychology to become a so-called professional mum.

“The truth is I’m so exhausted that I have no desire to fit in this demanding stereotype. I don't want to be perfect. I want to live a life in which my feelings, interests, and goals matter. And once I have a dream…” —Olga Steinepreis

Julia Gunther - “For The Love Of The Game”

"For the Love of the Game" is a photography project that delves into the captivating world of the Queens Football League, the pioneering all-female American football league in the Netherlands. I followed the league's final two years and witnessed the profound passion, unwavering dedication, and raw emotions that define the lives of these remarkable women, both on and off the field.” —Julia Gunther

Many thanks to our judges: Anna Alexander (WIRED), Gabriel H. Sanchez (The New York Times), Catlin Langford (Centre for Contemporary Photography), Emily Shornick (Netflix), and Lieve Beumer (Flowers Gallery).

And a very special thanks to our sponsor, MPB, the largest global platform on which to buy, sell, and trade used photo and video gear. With their support, we were able to make this contest free to enter for everyone, regardless of their financial situation.