Congratulations to the following special selections chosen by our wonderful jury.
Bryan Locke (James Wellford, National Geographic)
Diana Cheren Nygren (Hideko Kataoka, Newsweek Japan)
Hankyung Ryu (Tif Ng, Magnum Foundation)
Laila Annmarie Stevens (Momo Takahashi, The New Yorker)
Paolo Manzo (Mike Kamber, Bronx Documentary Center)
Bryan Locke
"Always present in Bryan Locke’s photographs in his Salted Hands project are images that evoke and distill memory in a living place. Bryan’s photographs resonate with the powerful tableau of nature and her continuous and enmeshed dialogue with the community of St. Bernard Parish in Louisiana. One smells and hears a world in Bryan’s frames. In the photographs quiet intensity, a sense of endurance and unique identity compel (the work). Salted Hands is a truly immersive experience that is not invasive but which articulates beautifully the delicate and vulnerable current and past realities and experiences of a region evolving in the infinite pacing of time."
James Wellford, National Geographic
Diana Cheren Nygren
"Diana Cheren Nygren's photographs serve as family portraits that transcend time and space. They revive the histories her ancestors left behind to survive, as well as the past they attempted to erase to assimilate into America—and one cannot help but be deeply moved by the artist’s steadfast determination to act as a bridge and pass these narratives down to her children. Ultimately, her work creates a profound sense of presence, as though those ancestors are right there in the room with us, perhaps guiding our way. It is this powerful convergence of personal history, artistic intention, and spiritual connection that makes her photography so deeply transformative."
Hideko Kataoka, Newsweek Japan
Hankyung Ryu
"I was moved by Ryu's experimental and creative approach to image-making. This Moon in Your Throat feels like a deeply personal journey in exploring and understanding the nuances of unresolved collective trauma, and how it spills into family life across generations. There's an element of performance and play in these photographs that is compelling. Through poetic gestures and a lingering sense of desire, the work suggests that perhaps these constructed images could act as a form of repair. The photos felt like an invitation to question- What does it look like to live with inherited grief? At the same time they leave room for wonder, imagination, and the possibility of alternative realities. I am excited to see more work come out of this ongoing project."
Tif Ng, Magnum Foundation
Laila Annmarie Stevens
"Laila Annmarie Stevens’s “Clayton Sisterhood Project” poignantly shows the care and tenderness within sisterhood. Stevens beautifully captures the kinship among the women in her life through intimate portraits and quiet contemplative moments. We are reminded what it means to memorialize and cherish our matriarchal lineages by inviting us to glimpse into the lives of these women and their families."
Momo Takahashi, The New Yorker
OUR 2026 DAYLIGHT PHOTO AWARD JURY
 | Mike Kamber, Bronx Documentary Center Michael Kamber has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. Between 2002 and 2012 he worked for The New York Times covering conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Liberia, the Sudan, Somalia, the Congo and other countries. He has also worked as a writer and videographer for the Times. His photos have been published in nearly every major news magazine in the United States and Europe, as well as in many newspapers. In 2011, Kamber founded the Bronx Documentary Center, an educational space dedicated to positive social change through photography and film. Kamber is an adjunct professor at Columbia University. He is the winner of a World Press Photo award, the Mike Berger Award, the Society of Professional Journalists Deadline Club Award, American Photo Images of the Year and is a member of The New York Times team that won the 2003 Overseas Press Club award. The New York Times has twice nominated Kamber’s work for the Pulitzer Prize. |
 | Hideko Kataoka, Photo Editor, Newsweek Japan Hideko has been Director of Photography at Newsweek Japan since 2001. Hideko has also served as a lecturer in photojournalism and documentary photography at Tokyo Polytechnic University since 2013, and as a member of the External Review Committee at the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum since 2016. She regularly participates in portfolio reviews and has served as a juror for prestigious international photography festivals and competitions, including the World Press Photo, the W. Eugene Smith Grant, and many others. She is also the founder and director of Miiraii Creative. |
 | Tif Ng, Magnum Foundation Tif Ng (She/Her) is an American-Cantonese photographer and cultural worker based in New York City. Her research and photo practice explore myth-making, Chinese celebratory and mourning rituals, and Cantonese family histories and archives. She is currently the Programs Coordinator at Magnum Foundation. She has curated exhibitions at Paris Photo, Photoville, Magnum Foundation and in community organizing spaces in Chinatown, New York. She is also the coordinating mentor for the Magnum Foundation New York City Fellowship program. |
 | Momo Takahashi, The New Yorker Momo Takahashi is a first-generation Japanese American photographer and photo editor based in Queens, New York. She is currently the Assistant Photo Editor at The New Yorker, where she works on stories through commissions and photo research. Previously, she was a Photo Editor Fellow at Business Insider and a researcher for author Min Jin Lee. |
 | James Wellford, National Geographic James Wellford is a photography editor and curator at National Geographic based in Brooklyn, New York. For 12 years he served as International Photo Editor at Newsweek, collaborating on projects recognized by the Overseas Press Club, World Press Photo, POYi, American Photo, Visa Pour L’Image, PX3, and NPPA. He has curated photography and multimedia exhibitions worldwide addressing contemporary issues, including American Photography for the Photographic Museum of Humanity and multiple exhibitions at Photoville, VII Gallery, Cortona and other international venues. James has served on juries for major photography awards, is a Knight Wallace Fellow at the University of Michigan, and has been a contributing photo editor to Foreign Policy and CNN. |
