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The Guardian

‘A tour de force!': LensCulture Critics' Choice awards

'The image is part of a series that interrogates and dismantles colonial depictions of the Chinese diaspora in south-east Asia. As a Singaporean-Chinese living in London, I engage in self-portraiture, using my body to reclaim agency over my identity and confront the legacies of colonialism.' This year, 41 international photographers submitted to the awards from more than 120 countries. These top winners represent the personal favourites of the 19 photography experts on this year's panel. More information on the LensCulture Critics' Choice awards here 'I was born and raised in Ganzhou, Jiangxi, where the Long March began. My schoolbooks were filled with patriotic education, and party emblems with red stars and signs about the Long March featured on almost every street corner. I realised that it has evolved into a political tool for transforming individual suffering into a necessary sacrifice required by the collectives. Since the [lockdown] of Shanghai at the beginning of 2022, I have become a spectator from Germany, witnessing the lockdown of the city I used to live in, and indeed all over China' 'Last year, I found an old photograph in my mother's photo album that documented a dance performance about the Red Army at her graduation concert. It reminded me that my understanding of the Long March was perhaps a collective feeling that transcends generations. In 2024, I undertook a journey along the route, documenting the symbolic representations of the Long March and the people who live along it' 'This series uses staged narrative photography to imagine a version of Americana boyhood I never experienced. I grew up queer, first-generation, and distanced from the rural, white, masculine ideals that have historically shaped visual culture in the American south. Rather than reclaim that mythology, these photographs aim to inhabit it briefly – to question it, bend it and make room for other kinds of presence: tender, strange and vulnerable. Working with groups of young men, I stage improvised scenes across rural Florida' 'Other Joys is an ongoing body of work that highlights the intensity of my special interests as an autistic woman, through portraits and constructed imagery. Featured are butterflies, animal shows and taxidermy; all of which create feelings of euphoria and excitement that are almost indescribable. Special interests are common within the autistic community and, while they may differ from person to person, the joy they provide is one we all understand. The process of making these photographs provides me with a safe space to feel at ease and to unmask' 'I've been able to experience my autistic joy to the fullest through this project. What was once a fear of being deemed different has now become a celebration of self-acceptance. Throughout the work there are comments on my own autistic traits, such as my need for sensory comfort and how easy it is for me to be overwhelmed. The self-portraits featured, all different in tonality, expression and mood, mirror how I feel in real life; constantly changing myself to fit in, while the repetition of certain symbols suggests my need for rigid routine' Jim Casper, editor-in-chief of LensCulture says: 'Carlos Folgoso Sueiro has created an immersive, cinematic, semi-mythical story about the place where he grew up, Galicia, and the people who inhabit it still, against all odds of survival. It's a sad and romantic tale that touches on rural depopulation, droughts, neglect and resilience. All of the stunning photos are accompanied by compelling texts that explore many facets of life and struggles in Galicia. It's a tour de force' Nestled in the lush landscapes of Galicia, a woman wearing traditional Galician dress poses at the edge of a wooded enclave. The vegetation, a testament to Galicia's historical abundance of rainfall, unfolds before her. The essence of Galicia's enduring green legacy, shaped by the perennial rains that have blessed the region, is embodied in the silhouette of this woman, in a connection with nature that characterises the people of Galicia On the ruins of a mosque destroyed by an Israeli airstrike, Palestinians perform a congregational prayer amid the rubble – a powerful act of faith in the face of relentless genocide. Since October 2023, Gaza has endured a brutal war, yet moments like this reveal the unshakable spirit of its people. This image captures a sacred pause in the chaos where survival becomes an act of worship, and steadfastness a form of resistance 'What We Inherit is an artistic exploration of my Japanese heritage. Using images of kimonos and scrapbooks that my grandparents left from the 1930s-50s, the photographic montages represent a family's memories and emotions that are inherited but also fade over time. The project is a reflection of my growing desire to preserve the tangible history and artefacts we inherit, and to reimagine their place in today's digital culture' 'Each time we access a memory, we rewrite the moment. The very act of remembering alters the facts. This process, called reconsolidation, makes the image a bit more blurry and malleable. Each retrieval of a memory is a portrait of our current self, combining with the changing ways we perceive our world. My series explores the role images play in how and what we remember. Using analogue photographs from my family archive, I re-record them as digital files, then pixelate each image by hand, shaping the image into a new narrative' Flood Me, I'll Be Here is a five-year photographic exploration of Majuli, the world's largest river island in north-east India – an island slowly disappearing because of erosion, flooding and the shifting course of the river. For centuries, the pulsating presence of the Brahmaputra River's massive flow has defined people's history and identity. Rather than focusing on catastrophe, the project traces an intimate portrait of a community shaped by spiritual continuity, cultural memory and a sacred coexistence with water In Majuli, time is cyclical, marked by the monsoons and the river's unpredictable rhythm. As floods become more frequent and infrastructure reshapes the ecosystem, traditional ways of life are under threat. Yet what emerges is not only loss but resilience. The islanders' instinctive relationship with the river reveals a model of climate adaptation rooted in humility, coexistence and ancestral wisdom. Their daily lives speak of a fragile equilibrium where identity and environment are deeply intertwined In the Kurdish regions of western Iran, the term kolbari (being a porter) describes transporting heavy goods across the border on foot in exchange for a small amount of money. Kurdish porters strive for a living under harsh environmental conditions, mostly in the Zagros mountains bordering the two countries. Routes are located in life-endangering locations including winding mountain trails and narrow passages through high cliffs. Hundreds of Kolbars are killed or injured in the course of their work each year, some shot by border guards