Photography Winners
1st Place
Kailum Graves, Brisbane Australia.
‘Shadow & Light’
Shadows and Light is an introspective self-portrait that delves into the complex landscape of living with complex post-traumatic stress disorder. It captures the nuanced interplay between the enveloping shadows of past traumas and the ephemeral glimpses of light that symbolise moments of healing and understanding. Through a blend of stark contrasts and subtle transitions, the portrait explores the depths of vulnerability and resilience inherent in the human spirit.
2nd Place
Natalie Arber, Melbourne Australia
“Metamorphic”
The beginning stages of metamorphosis as I let go of what was and what I thought was meant to be. Today I accept that my life and my dreams are suspended like a chrysalis while my tears wash down the drain. Every bone in my body is riddled with grief but I am holding on to hope that my wings will grow bigger and brighter than before. One day I will know who I am and where I am meant to be but today I am meant to be here, crying in the shower.
3rd Place shared
Daniel Chacon, Caracas Venezuela.
Daniel Chacon “sinalmidad”
This series of self-portraits visually document my journey as a neurodivergent person with bipolar disorder. sinalmidad (soullessness), is set in that life out of time, nuancing greys to remind me that nothing is ever black or white. using a triptych format, the images capture mania and depression’s fluctuations. it proposes an aesthetic for what remains liveable as we navigate these episodes, to reflect on identity’s fragility and the blurred boundaries of existence and self.
3rd Place shared
Mikhail Shestakov, Tbilsi Georgia.
“In the moment”
I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder and depression.
“In the Moment” is a series of self-portraits taken with an instant camera. I started this project as a form of self-art-therapy. The pictures capture my emotions at the moment I experience them. It is a way to cope with bouts of anxiety and panic attacks. During the shooting, I completely disconnect from my suffering. The instant camera has become a lifebuoy. This series was a way to get to know myself and also the first step toward therapy.
Short Film Winners
1st Place shared
Sofia Malemina, London United Kingdom.
โUnknown Diaryโ
A short film about how Humanity is consumed by screens and the direction of their online replications. Like in life, in the film the contours of online and offline, reality and fantasy, forbidden and legal are disappearing. It ultimately leaves feelings questions unanswered.
1st Place shared
Restoni A Goyala, Quezon City Philippines.
“Break Through“
Drawing the line between stagnation and self-care, this film embodies my words:
๐๐ง ๐ ๐ธ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐ต๐ฐ ๐จ๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ค๐ฉ๐ข๐ด๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฅ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฎ๐ด,
๐๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฏ๐ฐ ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ด๐ฉ ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ๐ธ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ,
๐’๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐บ๐ด๐ฆ๐ญ๐ง ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ.
๐๐ง ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐บ๐ด๐ฆ๐ญ๐ง ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ,
๐๐ถ๐ต ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ ๐ช๐ด ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ ๐จ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐บ๐ด๐ฆ๐ญ๐ง,
๐๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ ๐ข๐ฎ ๐ธ๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐จ๐ฐ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ง๐ญ๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ด.
3rd place
Sarolta Hainrikffy and Dorottya Fejes, Budapest Hungry
โDelirium tremens”
Delirium tremens includes visual, auditoryโ, and tactile hallucinations that occurs in alcoholics after severe alcohol withdrawal.
Music Winners
1st Place
Amy Wang, Auckland New Zealand
“Tissue Paper“
Tissue Paper is a song written in the depths of depression, when you eat and and sleep just to cry more and the tissue box run out so you fill it with a roll of toilet paper. Writing this song helped me get through this period of time more quickly. It gave me something to observe and focus on. The result is a song that people find interesting and funny although it is sad.
2nd Place
Yasmin Arkinstall, Sydney Australia
“Swallowing”
This soundscape is in my one-woman show “OCDiva” about living with severe OCD. With music by Brisbane-based composer Eve Klein, spoken dialogue by my Californian OCD therapist (not AI-generated which I can verify through email correspondence) and graphic design by Brisbane-based Olivia Watkins, this piece depicts sensorimotor OCD (a subset revolving around fears of swallowing or breathing “wrongly”, leading to accidental bodily harm). This subset began for me when I was 11 and felt like torture.
3rd Place
Lisa Akuah, Berlin Germany
“If”
‘If’ is a song I wrote when I went through a long phase of burnout and depression. The job environment I was working in was toxic and I experienced bullying from superiors. โIfโ describes the feeling of discomfort within myself and wishing to just be something else, some creature that can take me away from those struggles. But of course, thatโs impossible, so I had to make due with being me, although I had my โhead screwed on sidewaysโ. This song gave me the strength to quit that job!