Lu Daosen died. He is 26 years old, and is an internet celebrity freelance photographer. I am also a photographer, but I am still alive and walking on the road. Why did Lu Dawson died? Before his death, he published his will online, which stated that he was a left-behind child in the rural areas. He was bullied as a student and became a dream chaser living alone in the city when he grew up. And he has no love or money in the big city, his dreams are squeezed out by reality, and there is no future. His story is not an individual case. With the rapid population growth and rapid economic development in the past 40 years, resources have become relatively concentrated, classes have gradually solidified, and wealth has become a measure of success. Social changes have made interpersonal relationships intricate, and trust has gradually diminished. Competition has been with us since we were born, and the belief in excellence is rooted in everyone's heart. We have been in anxiety for a long time, worrying about being eliminated by the era of rapid development. The security system of average wealth has now disappeared. It is full of challenges for ordinary people to change their living standards. Coupled with a series of pressures such as emotional loneliness and traditional concepts, it makes it difficult for us to make choices at the crossroads of life. Eventually Lu Daosen stopped at the crossroads. In the city of stars, there is no light to light it up. Those dreams that have been poured day and night have become endless dust, no one will remember. It is a pity that you died and the news made me know you in this way. But why am I not someone like you? Every day I walk at the crossroads of the garden and see the endless stream of people. There are too many people and every face is blurred, the tired faces that I don't want to see. Some people are still there at the Garden crossroads, but more people have disappeared from the big city like animals. Where did they go?

Finalist

The Garden’s Crossroads

Pang Hai
Independent
China

Pang Hai is a new media practitioner engaged in photography, video, text, and video editing. I was born in Beijing, China, living and working in Beijing now. My works mainly explore the living state of people,throughout the appearance to the deep spirit of the Chinese people. Exploring the relationship between people and the environment, personal value orientation, human survival, and other issues, so as to find the way to the future.

[ ISSUE REPORTING PICTURE STORY ] A long-term project on a single topic. It could focus on science, news, politics or any number of topics, ranging from coverage of a single person to an entire community. The project must convey a deep understanding of the subject. Each submission consists of 10 to 40 images. Each participant is allowed to enter up to 3 submissions. All images must be taken in 2020 or 2021. Stories on COVID-19 should not be entered in this category.

Judges for Issue Reporting Picture Story
Ikuru Kuwajima
Tanvi Mishra
Sanjit Das
Maika Elan
Oded Wagenstein