The Gomma Photography Grant 2025 results bring into focus a compelling range of contemporary photographic practices, reaffirming the medium’s role as a tool for nuanced storytelling and cultural observation. This year’s selection reflects a strong commitment to personal vision, where photographers engage closely with themes of identity, belonging, and the shifting realities of modern life.
Across the awarded projects, there is a clear emphasis on intimacy and lived experience. Rather than relying on spectacle or overt statements, the works unfold through quiet, attentive observation. They explore the spaces people inhabit, the relationships they form, and the emotional landscapes that define everyday existence. A notable aspect of this year’s edition is the presence of diverse perspectives, particularly those shaped by feminine viewpoints and broader gender narratives, underscoring their central role in shaping contemporary visual culture.
The First Prize has been awarded to
Hara Ghan for Strays, a project that stands out for its raw, diaristic approach. The work traces the lives of a generation navigating the fragile edges of early adulthood, where stability remains uncertain and identity is continuously negotiated. Through close and trusting engagement with subjects, Strays reveals a network of individuals—friends, lovers, and companions—connected not by defined categories, but by shared experiences of vulnerability and displacement. The images move fluidly between private and public spheres, where fleeting moments and everyday rituals acquire a deeper resonance. Avoiding dramatization, the project privileges presence and emotional clarity, offering a portrait of belonging that feels both fragile and deeply human.
The Second Prize goes to
Simon Johansson for No Man’s Land, while
Gloria Mezzadri receives the Third Prize for Limbo. Both projects contribute to the broader dialogue established by this year’s selection, expanding on ideas of transition, uncertainty, and the spaces—both physical and psychological—that individuals inhabit.
Among the Honorable Mentions,
Laura Pannack is recognized for The Journey Home from School, alongside
Steven Harwick for Bound Leather. These works further emphasize the importance of long-term engagement and observational depth in contemporary practice.
Additional distinctions highlight specific approaches within the field. The Documentary Award is presented to
Lina Czerny for I Am Not Like Me, a project that reinforces photography’s enduring relationship with reality and personal testimony. The Black and White Award goes to
Marcus DeSieno for Geography of Disappearance, demonstrating the continued relevance of monochrome imagery as a conceptual and aesthetic choice. The Gomma New Flavour distinction is awarded to
Nora Handsley for Good Luck Around Every Turn, signaling emerging directions and fresh perspectives within the medium.
Taken together, the Gomma Photography Grant 2025 winners reflect a moment in which photography is increasingly defined by its ability to engage with complexity through subtlety. These projects do not seek to simplify the world, but to observe it closely, embracing ambiguity and layered narratives. In doing so, they reaffirm photography’s capacity to articulate the human condition with honesty, sensitivity, and depth.
