The British Journal of Photography in collaboration with WePresent and

Galerie Huit Arles present the winners of the fifth edition of OpenWalls .

British Journal of Photography, in partnership with WePresent and Galerie Huit Arles, is proud to announce the winners of OpenWalls Spotlight 2025.

Now in its fifth edition, OpenWalls is an international photography award designed to elevate the work of emerging and established photographers by exhibiting it in the historic setting of Galerie Huit Arles, alongside Les Rencontres d’Arles – one of the world’s leading photography festivals.

This year’s theme, Traditions in Transition, invited photographers to reflect on how cultural rituals, identities and heritage shift across time, space and generations. From reinterpretations of mythology to contemporary expressions of family, belief and belonging, the selected works explore how tradition is carried, adapted and reimagined.

The 2025 winners include one outstanding series and four single images, which will be exhibited at Galerie Huit Arles from 7 July 2025.

Series Category Winners

The Kitchen God Series
Anh Nguyen

In Vietnamese popular mythology, every family is said to have three kitchen gods in their house. Their altars are placed by the stove to watch over the family, ensuring they treat each other well and that all matters of the home are in order. Growing up in Vietnam but having lived away from home and family for a decade, I began unpacking traditions and rituals I grew up with as performance to find ways to interpret them in my own life. Fifty years after the beginning of large-scale migration from Vietnam to the United States, the immigrant experience of Vietnamese people of my generation is reshaping the narrative around our identity in America. By deciding what aspects of our culture to preserve and make our own, we serve as a living connection between cultures. The Kitchen God Series uses the imaginative landscape of Vietnamese myths to explore the meaning of home-making to young Vietnamese people in New York City. What would a kitchen god see if they could look into our lives?

Single images Winners

About to Leave
Timon Benson

This photograph is called About to Leave (2023) It was made as a reflection of my father arriving in the UK in 1990. Arriving he proudly wore my Grandfather's suit, a privilege granted to the first generation of our family to leave Africa. 34 years later, he wears my grandfather's tie, days after making the decision to return back to a happier life at home.

The photograph is from a long-form photographic project documenting our special father-son bond. Honing in on my father’s experience as a first-generation immigrant in the UK, the project unravels themes of health, displacement and family care. The project bridges the family archive, with an ongoing documentation of his present life, and behaves as witness between his two homes - both Kenya and the UK. I explore the juxtaposition between his solitary life in the UK, compared to his extraordinarily different personality in Kenya, whilst feeding in the nuances of family dynamics and English life

Echoes of the Pear Garden
Andrew Kung

Echoes of the Pear Garden documents New York City Chinese opera troupes in Manhattan’s Chinatown; this project follows middle aged and elderly performers - some professionals from China and others amateurs - who preserve this art form’s tradition in America as a centerpiece of their own identity.

My Daughter, Bonita

Akanksha Pandey

Bonita’s story is a powerful and multi-layered one, deeply intertwined with personal, familial, and societal dynamics. Growing up in a village like Pali in Rajasthan, where rigid class and caste+veil systems prevail, her journey of gender transition becomes not just about individual identity but also about challenging foundations of deeply patriarchal societies, long-standing traditions and cultural norms.

Olympos

Alex Kurunis

Greek Orthodox Easter Friday in the remote village of Olympos, Karpathos. Women of all ages adorn an epitaph with fresh flowers, in an ode to those from the community who have passed away that year. This is one of many cherished unique customs of the village, which persist even despite a gradual decline in the local population.

Note aux rédacteurs

À propos du British Journal of Photography :

British Journal of Photography, la plus ancienne revue de photographie au monde, présente les pionniers de la photographie depuis 1854.

Les pionniers de cette forme d'art depuis 1854. À travers l'objectif de photographes de renommée mondiale, British Journal of Photography explore des histoires riches et actuelles sur l'art, la culture, la politique et la société. British Journal of Photography a également créé un programme de prix photographiques de renommée internationale - dont Female in Focus, OpenWalls, Portrait of Britain, BJP International Photography Award et Portrait of Humanity - qui visent tous à célébrer les talents émergents et établis.

Découvrez le journalisme photographique primé de BJP en ligne via 1854.photography - et dans son magazine trimestriel imprimé.

À propos d'OpenWalls :

OpenWalls est un prix international de photographie décerné par le British Journal of Photography en collaboration avec Galerie Huit Arles, qui récompense des artistes émergents et confirmés dans des institutions prestigieuses du monde entier.

About WeTransfer

WeTransfer, the most creative platform for sharing ideas, makes it easy for creators to share and distribute content, and collaborate with teams. With an average of 80 million monthly active users in 190 countries, WeTransfer is a long-time champion of using business as a force for good. WePresent is WeTransfer’s Academy-award winning arts platform, acting as the company’s cultural torchbearer and creative commissioning body. Collaborating with emerging young talent to renowned artists, WePresent showcases the best in art, photography, film, music and more, championing diversity in everything it does. The platform’s commissions range from editorial features to films, illustrations, photography series, events, and exhibitions, with an aim to offer a fresh take on the magic and mystery of creative ideas.

À propos de la Galerie Huit Arles :

La Galerie Huit Arles est située dans un hôtel particulier du XVIIe siècle dans la ville d'Arles, classée au patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO. Cette ville provençale est réputée pour ses monuments romains, ses musées de classe mondiale, le peintre Vincent Van Gogh, la Fondation Luma et ses prestigieux festivals d'art. Fondée en 2007, la Galerie Huit Arles a acquis une solide réputation pour la sélection minutieuse de ses artistes - établis ou émergents - et la qualité de ses accrochages et installations.

Les expositions sont organisées de manière indépendante ou en collaboration. Parmi ses partenaires, citons Le Victoria & Albert Museum, Londres, Factum Arte Madrid, British Journal of Photography, City Hall Kuala Lumpur, et la Galerie SIT DOWN, Paris. Outre les expositions régulières et les visites privées de prestige, la galerie organise des séjours artistiques pour les voyageurs avertis, des résidences d'artistes et des ateliers thématiques. Bien plus qu'un simple espace d'art, la Galerie Huit Arles est un lieu créatif, inspirant et convivial dans un endroit magnifique.