Statement
The stigma of female body hair. I have been living in Europe for many years. The last time I visited Japan, I noticed that there were way too many ads for permanent hair removal. I was shocked and scared by the pressure from society to remove hair to be feminine. It seemed that everyone was completely missing the point. For whom and what for are you trying to be beautiful? I was pretty concerned that no one seemed to have any problems with it. My sister, who is eleven years younger than me and lives in Japan, is totally different from other girls. She must have reached puberty, but she doesn’t give a shit about what everyone else thinks about body hair. Perhaps, some men might not know this, but some women have hair on the chin. The ideal female image is just a flight of fancy. I love my sister for who she is, and I think she is one of the coolest women on the planet. I hope there will be more cool women in Japan who are happy with who they are.

Judge's comment Takashi Homma
I loved the positive political message of the work.

Winner profile
Shiori Akiba
Born in Hokkaido. Started learning photography in Paris in 2016. Living and working in London since 2018. Her work questions our stereotyped perception of gender roles and how our body images are formed while creating synergy between fashion and fine art.

Related Links
Web: www.shioriakiba.com
Instagram: @shiori_akiba

Statement
There is a Kurdish community of about two thousand people in Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture. Most of them had left Turkey to flee persecution, but so far, no one has been granted refugee status. Japan’s refugee recognition rate is extremely low compared to other countries. The path to settlement is significantly restricted by the country’s refugee and immigration policies; however, the Kurds have already started moving on with their lives here. Many Kurdish men work in demolition to support their families. Although they had arrived in Japan when they were young and have grown up here, the children of the first generation face barriers to education and employment due to their insecure status.

Judge's comment Mari Katayama
I selected her work because I wished her to continue photography. Her image tells the time she spent with her subject, the relationship between the photographer and her subjects, and her attitude towards photography in a very thoughtful way, and I found that beautiful.

Winner profile
Sachiko Saito
Born in 1985. Graduated from the photography department of Nihon University College of Art. Live and work in Tokyo. Her work focuses on how individuals are conditioned by social context. One of the finalists at the 22nd 1-WALL photography competition.

Related Links
Web: sachikosaito.com
Instagram: @komsms
Twitter: @sachikomsms

Statement
This is a new style of portrait photography generated by photogrammetry, which creates the 3D scan of an object using multiple images. In other words, it captures various perspectives into a single image, thus enabling us to see an object as a spatial entity from three-dimensional and multiple perspectives. It is already being used in land survey and architecture as an alternative recording medium to replace photography. The history of photographic techniques can be summarized as the history of visibility. Photogrammetry seems to represent our relentless desire to achieve a higher level of objectivity by integrating different perspectives into one. With this in mind, the errors that occurred in the process seem to highlight the gap between the subject and its representation.

Judge's comment Alec Soth
My personal taste in portraiture is generally quite traditional. I don’t want the technology to get in the way of the portrait. So I was surprised that my favorite portrait submitted used 3D photogrammetry. While this technology is a prominent part of the image, I still found Nagata’s work direct and emotionally powerful.

Winner profile
Fuka Nagata
Born in 1998 in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka prefecture. Interested in the human relationships intermediated by such connections as the internet and cities as well as the mutual communication between technology and human, I create works that internalise the relationship between information and signals which are communicated through such media, the image representations of the past or of distant locations and the human existence as a meta composition.

Related Links
Instagram: @yawn_taro
Twitter: @yantaro_yanyan

Statement
We currently live in Japan as foreign students, but we are not sure where we will be in the future.

Judge's comment Hellen van Meene
When I am a judge for a contest I always try to see if the photographer has more than 1 good image. It can happen that the photographer just made one lucky shot and to find out that the other images dont have the same quality or when you miss their own "language" in the photos.
For me it is important to see if the photographer at least in the other images understands composition, light and framing their work. That the concept of the other photos are in the same line or language of the sequence or a story. Of Course it can happen that 1 or 2 photos in a series are stronger, but in the end I should have the feeling that the photographer understands his language or his journey in his photos.
I chose this photographer, because there is more than 1 good image. I loved the 2 portraits in colour, When we make a portrait of someone we would like to achieve that we the viewer of the photoworks also feel a connection. Even though we are not related to the person in the photo. The photo itself should communicate, by the use of light, the composition and the way the photographer captures the quality of the person in the photo. The girl with the red dress and the pearls all has this quality for me. I am not related but I feel a connection with this photo. It is mysterious and has beautiful light and I am curious and these are for me important values in a portait. This photographer understands what it's about. The other images are also interesting to look at. I would like to nominate this photographer and I hope that the photographer will stay as focused as in these photos.

Winner profile
Bian Min
Born in China. Graduated from the Graduate School of Art and Design at Tama Art University in 2011.

Related Links
Instagram: @bianbiandezuiai

Statement
Last winter, I wanted to see my boyfriend, who has been my muse and inspiration for a long time, with swans. We were greatly moved by the beauty of the birds we saw together for the first time as we stand in the early morning fog. The air was crisp and clear, with the sun just starting to come up. Our noses turned red, and the finder became foggy from the chill. But I was just so happy to see him there.

Judge's comment Yoshiyuki Okumura
This image recalls the smell of fresh air, the coolness of the kiss of the wind on the cheek, and a place where grass and leaves make the soothing rustling sound when you walk on them. Inspiring images like this remind me that one of the beauties of photography is being able to capture the ephemerality of a moment.
Her image leaves just enough room for imagination. It really makes me think about the photographer herself, the subject, and the place.

Although there is nothing new, her photography is honest, simple, and direct, and I think this makes her work very unique and personal.

Winner profile
Natsuko Kito
Born in 1992 in Kyoto. Studied traditional Japanese painting at the Department of Fine Arts Education at Nara University of Education. Winner of a Grand Prix at the portrait category, IMA next CONTEST in 2019. Currently based in Tokyo, working in a variety of medium, including film stills.

Related Links
Web: kitonatsuko.com
Web: Gemini Films
Instagram: @ktntk02