We are delighted to announce the 35 finalists who have successfully passed the first phase of the Project Selection curated by Matt Black.
The Magnum photographer selected these outstanding works from over 400 submissions, and in the coming days he will carefully review them to make his final choice.
It won’t be an easy decision: the shortlisted projects impressed Black for their originality, distinctiveness, and variety of photographic styles and genres.
The absence of a fixed theme resulted in an extraordinary diversity of portfolios and narratives, a testament to the boundless creativity and imagination that lie behind a photographer’s lens.
Here is the list of shortlisted authors, in alphabetical order:
Adriana Dovha (UA) – Sashko – the story of invincibility
Alberte Pereira (ES) – ARGA
Alessandro Malaguti (IT) – Nenets i nomadi della Siberia
Andrea Bettancini (IT) – The Sound of Silence (extended cut)
Aurélien Goubau (BE) – ZNAMYA
Bénédite Topuz (FR) – Lasting Alliance Unstable Alliance
Boris Suyderhoud (NL) – INT | EXT
Ebrahim Alipoor (IR) – bullets have no borders
Edoardo Agresti (IT) – Within the Walls of Memory
Federico Scoppa (IT) – Macerie
Giacomo Fusaro (IT) – Atlas of third Eden
Giles Clarke (US) – Sudan: In Time of War
Ian Willms (CA) – The Hound
J A Mortram (GB) – SMALL TOWN INERTIA
Johon Miroslav Caf (IT) – La trahison de la nature (Ceci n’est pas un nuage)
Jozef Macak (SK) – Tides of life
Kristof Huf (MX) – How do you Know someone Loves you?
Louie Palu (CA) – Distant Early Warning
Luka Dakskobler (SI) – All is Lost
MARCO Guidi (SM) – MIRAMAR
Massimo Russo (IT) – Acqua e sale
Matteo Scarpa (IT) – Absence: The Echo of Ma
Max Sturgeon (US) – The Dead Don’t Die
Paweł Piotrowski (PL) – Good Life
Probal Rashid (BD) – Voices of Capital
Sarah Hoskins (US) – The Homeplace
Suryene Ramaget (IT) – Yellamma
Tim Russell (GB) – Slum Beautiful
Torsen Schumann (DE) – VERMILION CONFUSION 朱雀的困惑
Umberto Verdoliva (IT) – Like White Shells
Ute Behrend (DE) – Cowboys – After Barbed Wire
Valery Melnikov (RU) – Apocalypse in Mariupol
Vanessa Abramowitz (CO) – On the Doorstep
Yunus Boiocchi (IT) – Chapter 1
Zhaleh Bahrami (IR) – from the heart of ashes
Join us on Sunday, October 26, 2025, at 5:00 PM at Sala Xenia (Riva Tre Novembre / corner Via Mazzini – Trieste).
On this occasion, Matt Black will announce and comment on the winning project.
If you can’t attend the festival, the results will be published on our social channels!
Awards for the Best Project
- Solo exhibition at Trieste Photo Days 2026
- Two-night stay for two people to attend the exhibition in person
- Live talk with the author during the festival
- Publication of an extract from the project in the official Festival Catalogue
Exhibition of the 2024 Winner
Andy Hall, winner of the Project Selection curated by Harry Gruyaert for Trieste Photo Days 2024, will present his project Tales of The City.
The exhibition will be open from October 24 to November 9, and on Friday, October 25, at 3:00 PM, Hall will personally lead a guided tour of his show.
