We are truly delighted with the remarkable success of this initiative. It is inspiring to observe the numerous submissions received, necessitating an initial screening process to select the most suitable photographs for the judges. In an era where global stability appears somewhat fragile due to various leadership decisions, the multitude of protests and efforts to document discontent are indeed encouraging. We sincerely extend our gratitude to all participants, including the finalists and winners, for their valuable contributions.
“The Visual Memory of Protest”
Singles winners
Winner – Adar Eyal
Adar Eyal
Patty DeJuneas
B.D Colen
Gerd Bonse
Jay Nabbe Tied for Fifth
Never Edit Tied for Fifth
Winner – Adar Eyal
Adar Eyal
is a distinguished Israeli street and documentary photographer renowned for capturing significant societal transformations and emotional narratives, particularly in relation to the Israeli hostage crisis. His candid, documentary-style photographs illustrate human emotions, resilience, and socio-political issues. Following October 7, 2023, he devoted his efforts to documenting the emotional repercussions on the nation by covering demonstrations, memorials, and Hostages Square. His work has been featured on the Social Documentary Network and on 1xcom.
Within days of October 7, 2023, families of at least 341 missing Israelis demanded their return. As a street and documentary photographer for over 25 years, I've captured these events—it's more than a project; it's documenting a pivotal, transformative moment for the nation. I resigned from my job, set aside my normal life, and now spend most of my time on the streets, seeking the next frame. There are no “good” stories; I shot thousands of photos over 11 months, none with smiles—only sadness, frustration, fear, anger, and helplessness. Despite the tragedy, it’s rich in its portrayal of these emotions. I plan to continue until every hostage is home.
Second Place - Patty DeJuneas
Patty DeJuneas
is an experienced criminal defence, appellate, and trial attorney representing clients in criminal and civil cases in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and federal courts, including the First Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Judicial Court. Known for her tenacity, truth-telling, and litigation skills, she actively pursues misconduct claims and advocates through media, legislators, and other channels. Her strong writing, strategic thinking, and work ethic make her effective in civil rights litigation, criminal defence, and appeals.
For the first 50 years of my life, I never saw myself as creative until I discovered street photography. As a criminal defence and civil rights attorney, I witness the darker sides of humanity, but through my lens, I find beauty amid ugliness. I bought my first real camera in 2019, dreaming of capturing mountain gorillas in eastern Africa. During the pandemic, I explored street photography, documenting the empty streets of Boston and solitary figures I encountered. As an introvert, I aim to convey the loneliness of solitary confinement through a project documenting those re-entering society after incarceration. I carry my camera everywhere, capturing moments during my commute and on weekends, especially at social justice protests. My goal is to reveal and share the stories of the people I photograph.
Third Place – B.D.Colen
B.D. Colen
is an American journalist and medical writer, as well as a renowned documentary and street photographer. Since 2016 he has been living in London, Ontario. He is best known for winning the Pulitzer Prize and for his groundbreaking coverage of bioethics in mainstream media. Colen has also taught documentary photography at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He spent 27 years working at The Washington Post and Newsday, where he shared a Pulitzer Prize in 1984 for Newsday's "Baby Jane Doe" series.
The week after I turned 17, I covered the historic March on Washington for a weekly newspaper in Connecticut, and I haven't stopped shooting since. My photography has appeared in, among other publications, The Boston Globe, The St. Louis Post Dispatch, The Baltimore Sun, Newsday, the New England Journal of Medicine, the Christian Science Monitor, and Time Magazine. Some 30 images from my ongoing subway project are included in the permanent collection of the Boston Public Library. My work also has been featured in Huffington Post, on Social Documentary Network, on WGBH and WBUR, and in Boston Magazine.
Fourth Place - Gerd Bonse
Gerd Bonse
is an acclaimed street photographer based in Cologne, known for his compelling candid images of urban life. He focuses on capturing the everyday moments of local residents, the charm of city streets, and the intriguing interactions among people in his neighbourhood.
Jay Nabbe Tied for Fifth
Jay Nabbe
He is a digital creator and street photographer based in Malta. He is best known for his atmospheric monochrome and black-and-white photography, candid street portraits, and documentary features such as the "Strangers Project, Malta."
In January 2026, following the deaths of Renée Good and Alex Pretti during the United States’ “Operation Metro Surge” in Minneapolis, a peaceful vigil was held outside the U.S. Embassy in Malta. This series observes that gathering—not as a single narrative, but as fragments: gestures, faces, language, and moments of stillness. Between speech and silence, the images trace how collective grief, resistance, and uncertainty take form, leaving space for interpretation rather than resolution.
Never Edit Tied for Fifth
Eleanor's background spans education, coaching, and creative development. With a strong focus on process and progress, Eleanor helps learners move from where they are to where they want to be—one step at a time.
“The Visual Memory of Protest” Projects
Ludovic Vievard – This photographic project was created during a demonstration in support of the Venezuelan people, set against a backdrop of protest over Donald Trump’s international actions. More than a documentary record, it offers a sensitive immersion into a collective moment, captured in all that is shifting, fragile, and permeated by emotion. The choice of a slow shutter speed is central. It introduces a displacement, a deliberate loss of sharpness, which shifts the scene from the realm of the event to that of perception. Bodies double, faces partially dissolve, gestures leave traces, with the exception of those frozen by the flash, as if momentarily resolved within a world in disintegration. In this uncertain world, movement becomes a material, revealing the tension between choice and indeterminacy, between assertion and erasure. Without seeking to explain or illustrate a discourse, these images attempt to convey the atmosphere of a shared moment, where commitment is expressed as much through the body as through words. Blur is not a deficiency but a form of sincerity: it speaks to the instability of the world, the difficulty of fully grasping what is unfolding, and yet the necessity of being there, together. This work thus offers a sensitive reading of the demonstration, not as a fixed fact, but as a moment traversed by movement, tension, and memory, where photography becomes a space of resonance rather than proof.
Martin Ingber – After nearly 250 years as a shining example of freedom and democracy, can the United States of America survive? “When Fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross,” warns a saying attributed to the first American to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, Sinclair Lewis*. His 1935 novel, “It Can’t Happen Here,” envisioned the rise of a fascist dictatorship in the United States; and now, nearly a century later, Americans are struggling to prevent that fictional prophecy from becoming a reality. During the past decade, American democracy has been radically altered along lines recognized by historians as a path to authoritarianism. Today our Presidency, Congress, and Supreme Court are all controlled by extreme right-wing Republican majorities; and all vote in absolute obedience to their leader, donald trump -he who muses openly about ruling as a dictator or a king. Under this administration, bedrock U. S. laws are repeatedly disregarded; blatant, unprecedented corruption is rampant; and the Constitutionally-mandated human rights that have always protected our citizens are under attack. Many marginalized Americans have been stripped of essential support systems like health care and food assistance; while the ultra-wealthy have been enriched by untold billions. Misguided tariffs have wreaked economic havoc in American households and around the world, while consumer prices continue to climb. Important government officials have been replaced by unqualified and incompetent ‘loyalists’, endangering public welfare. We have invaded a neighboring nation- Venezuela- and seized its resources; and are now threatening to ‘take’ Greenland -a NATO ally- all at the whims of an unchecked leader. At the same time, information from FBI investigations into sex trafficking by notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein has just begun to be released; and donald trump is already reported to appear more than 38,000 times in those files. The alleged crimes have generated widespread public outrage, and the situation now appears primed to explode into a scandal of unprecedented proportions. Overall, public support for trump and his policies has seen ‘historic’ decline, according to polls, with approval ratings in the 30’s, and disapproval levels approaching 60%. He has been called the most hated man in America.
Robert Willis – International Women’s Day (8 March) is a necessary and powerful symbol of resistance and solidarity. Protests around the world highlight ongoing challenges, including wage gaps, political underrepresentation, and violence against women. While significant progress has been made over the years, it is evident that improvements in situation of women in society largely do not come about naturally, with no effort. Like democracy, equality and freedom for women needs to be fought for constantly. Global social and political changes continue to erode freedoms and turn back the clock on equality. Sadly, protest is necessary now more than ever. I present here a selection of images I made a the International Women’s Day marches in Amsterdam in 2025 and 2026.
Richard Keshen – The Face of the Protestor The volume of noise can be heard off of the reverberation from the tall office towers quite a distance away. As you inch closer it becomes clear that there’s a protest underway. The chant of the protest leaders and the response from the crowd becomes more distinguishable. The person behind the megaphone, which is turned up to its highest volume, is leading the chants and the response from the protestors follows with a volume that’s even a notch louder. “What do we want? JUSTICE! When do we want it NOW!” “Whose streets? OUR STREETS!” “Show us what democracy looks like. THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE!” As you move even closer you look into the face of the protestors. Homemade signs held high. Not a smile on a face for this is a time to be serious and to stay solemn for the cause. A time to let the world, or at least the city, know what their principles are and what this protest is all about. The face of the protestor says it all.
