When we introduced our first ever photo essay contest for teenagers last year, inspired by The New York Times “Where We Are” series, we knew it would be challenging. Not only would participants have to take stunning photographs, but they would also have to interview the subjects, accompany those images with an essay, and then weave it all together to tell a compelling story. But we were so impressed with the results, that we decided to run the contest again for the 2024-25 school year.
This year, more than 600 photo essays featuring fascinating communities from around the world came in — from a karate school in Okinawa, a barbershop in Ohio, a children’s cancer ward in Barcelona, and so many more. From them, we have selected the 34 finalists listed below.
Students told us they learned much more than basic journalism skills through this project. Yihan Ren, the author of an honorable mention essay on a shelter for the homeless, wrote, “These experiences taught me a fundamental truth: only by immersing oneself in the lives of others can we truly understand their realities. True understanding comes from engaging with people and appreciating their lived experiences and genuine character.”
We hope you’ll appreciate the way that attention and care shines through in the work of our winner, whose essay is published here in full, as well that of the nine runners-up, whose abridged essays are featured in this collection. As always, we invite you to share your reactions with these young photojournalists in the comments.
To see excerpts from these nine excellent pieces, visit this post.
Buyu Lyu, 17, Rutgers Preparatory School, Somerset, N.J.: “Horse-Racing Tibetans at Gannan, Blessed by Nature”
Harim Oh, 15, Valors International Scholars, Anseong, South Korea: “The Candlelight Vigil Without Candles”
Maria Elis Lorga Novack, 18, and Marcus Albuquerque, 18, Fayetteville-Manlius High School, Manlius, N.Y.: “Wrestling With Their Bodies and Minds: Inside the Fayetteville-Manlius Girls Team”
Martina Sirvent Suarez, 15, British School of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain: “The Magic of Life”
Max Chung, 15, Parkway West High School, Ballwin, Mo.: “A Place for Tomorrow’s Leaders to Grow”
Miu Nakano, 16, Okinawa Christian School International, Yomitan, Japan: “Karate Extravaganza: Exploring an Okinawan Dojo Community”
Ruihan Li, 17, The Affiliated High School of South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China: “In This Dance Community, Kids Are No Longer ‘Left Behind’”
Serene Hameed, 17, Laurel School, Shaker Heights, Ohio: “In the Chair”
Tony-JunLin Pan, 15, Jericho Senior High School, Jericho, N.Y.: “Alley 41: A Hidden Sichuan Haven in Flushing”
Honorable Mentions
Acacia Snyder, 18, Boise High School, Boise, Idaho: “Bleed Blue! Boise State University Football Tailgate Camaraderie”
Azadeh Changrani-Rastogi, 17, Dhirubhai Ambani International School, Mumbai, India: “Cats, Dogs and a Village in the Heart of Mumbai: A Community Comes Together”
Bhoomi Jobanputra, 15, Syosset High School, Syosset, N.Y.: “The Gym That Rocks!”
Cooper Russell, 17, Lakewood High School, Lakewood, Ohio: “The Brotherhood of Baseball”
Ella Li, 16, Oregon Episcopal School, Portland, Ore.: “Where Home Is a Feeling: Connections That Transform Lives at HOMEpdx”
Ethan Chang, 17, Woodberry Forest School, Woodberry Forest, Va.: “Individual Battles, Collective Legacy”
Gagnaire Tom, 17, Gustave Eiffel Academy, Bordeaux, France: “The Wingfoil”
Hazel Redmon, 16, Lakewood High School, Lakewood, Ohio: “Crooked River: A Sport, a Team, a Family”
Jacqueline Shim, 18, and Mason, The College Preparatory School, Oakland, Calif.: “Cramped Room, Big Voices: Berkeley Youth Music Artists Build Community”
Jeremie Hart, 17, and Sam, Glen Ridge High School, Glen Ridge, N.J.: “The Meatlocker: Rock, Roll and Youth Culture in New Jersey”
Jiho Kim, 17, Valor International Scholars, Anseong, South Korea: “Where Children’s Smiles Blossom in Quảng Ngãi”
Kai Boulware, 16, and Zizi Boulware, 15, Rancho High School, Las Vegas: “In Las Vegas, a Community Rallies Around the Mexican Rodeo”
Kierra DCosta, 14, Bergen County Academies, Hackensack, N.J.: “The Ridgewood High Jamboree: A Night for Students, Parents and the Community”
Kyungjin Oh, 16, Saint Paul Preparatory Seoul, Seoul: “Barefoot Walkers Are United by Healing and Hope”
Mateo Velasquez Maineri, 17, CREC Academy of Aerospace and Engineering, Windsor, Conn.: “An Exploration of How the Maya Persist, Despite the Myth That They No Longer Exist”
Maya Trempe, 16, and Gwendolyn, Lakewood High School, Lakewood, Ohio: “An Ohio Bakery Whose First Ingredient Is Love (and Second Is Friendship)”
Miles Thomas Udry, 17, Boise Senior High School, Boise, Idaho: “Idahoan West Car Culture”
Nicholas Callaghan, 17, Crescenta Valley High School, La Crescenta, Calif.: “FIRST Lego League: Where Lego-fueled Adolescence Meets the Engineering Minds of Tomorrow”
Nicholas Zhuo, 16, The Governors Academy, Byfield, Mass.: “Peach Blossoms, a School Among the Clouds”
Victor Ni, 17, Canberra Grammar School, Canberra, Australia: “The Ngambri Way of Passing Knowledge Through Song and Spirit”
Yaxuan Huang, 16, Beijing 21st Century School, Beijing: “Yarns of Belonging: My Second Home in a Crocheting Sisterhood”
Yihan Ren, 17, Cogdel Cranleigh School Changsha, Changsha, China: “Di Yi Home: A Warm Home for Homeless”
Yuhan Zhou, 16, United World College of the Adriatic, Duino, Italy: “Beyond the Blueprint: Vocational High School Students in China”
Ziqian Albert Wang, 16, Basis International School Park Lane Harbor, Huizhou, China: “At Yulv, Urban Villagers Create Another World”
Thank you to our contest judges.
Annissa Hambouz, Caroline Gilpin, Elisa Zonana, Erica Ayisi, Jeremy Engle, Jeremy Hyler, John Otis, Katherine Schulten, Kimberly Wiedmeyer, Mary Marge Locker, Michael Gonchar, Natalie Proulx, Sharon Murchie, Shira Katz and Tina Kafka
A special thank you also for the help of Eve Lyons and Jennifer Harlan, who are part of the team that produced the Where We Are series that inspired this contest, and who also helped us judge.
