Check out the winning shots now!
Check out the winning shots now!
Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Playtime
Drexel University
Wanderlust
“This photograph was taken at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Colorado. Knowing how intense the midday heat can become, we arrived early to be ready for the morning light. After strong winds sweeping across the dunes made setting up a tent impossible - forcing a retreat back to the car for the night - we returned at first light.
The scene was striking: vast, smooth ridgelines of sand sculpted overnight by relentless wind. What drew me to capture this moment was the contrast between permanence and impermanence: the dunes themselves feel timeless, yet every footprint across them is fleeting. A lone figure moves along the crest of a dune, leaving a narrow path of footprints behind that will be reshaped into the ever-changing landscape within minutes.
I named this photograph Wanderlust to represent the human desire to explore, while serving as a reminder of responsibility. The principle of “Leave No Trace” resonates strongly here. Standing there, witnessing how quickly the wind reclaimed the sand, reinforced the idea that nature does not belong to us; we are only temporary visitors. This photograph captures that balance: a solitary presence within a vast landscape, and a quiet call to respect the spaces we explore.”
Brown University
A Mother’s Love
“I chose this photograph because it captures something I have spent much of my life searching for: the feeling of being held. As a child, I often felt abandoned, learning to become my own source of comfort out of necessity. But as I have grown older, I have come to understand that independence is not the absence of need, but the ability to both give and receive care.
In this image, a young Black child rests peacefully in the arms of her mother. The embrace is tender, instinctive, and communal—a reminder that Black life is filled with softness, intimacy, and deep reservoirs of love, even when dominant narratives suggest otherwise.
My work is rooted in that love. This photograph is for Black children, affirming that they are worthy of tenderness, rest, and care. Ultimately, this photograph is asking a simple question: What would it mean for us to allow ourselves to be held again?”
Agoura High School
Untitled
“I took this shot at a Sierra Canyon basketball game. I reached out to the athletic director after getting into photography through a class I took, and I was really into photographing anything I could. Sierra Canyon is the #1 basketball high school program in California, and they won the championship in 2026.
They were throwing up so many crazy dunks and shots in the game that every time I tried to shoot a photo, I would miss focus or miss the shot completely. I was getting really annoyed and was thinking about giving up, but I persisted through it.
I finally took this shot, and it turned out to be one of my best of the entire game. The one lesson I can give is that if you really want something, you have to persist through it—even if it’s hard, even if it may not seem like you can achieve it, because anything is possible.”
Student Photographer of the Year 2026 is supported by
What Julian says:
“I took this photo in the Cervantes Islands—home to one of Western Australia's few remaining Australian sea lion colonies. They are likely the most endangered sea lion species in the world, which shocked me when I arrived in 2020, as I didn't even know they existed.
This was one of the most personal encounters I’ve ever had with an animal in the water. I was so dizzy and broken from trying to entertain the sea lions for about an hour and a half that I was just taking a rest at the surface. Right then, one of the female sea lions came up to join me. We took a break together, just staring at each other in this really special, shared moment.
I chose this photo because that connection stayed with me, and I feel it captures the true personality and nature of these remarkably friendly animals.”