#27 Emerging Talent

To begin a career is never easy, and to show your work to the world requires a kind of courage that few speak of. Especially in photography, there is no single right step or choice, only the path your intuition leads you down. In many ways, it is harder than being established. Initially, you are still shaping your vision, your ideas are half-formed, and your style is uncertain. There is criticism, some fair, some not. Feedback piles in. Deadlines shift. Edits come without warning. Yet despite this, the emerging photographer persists. There is a quiet strength in choosing to share a work in progress, to let others see you in the process of becoming. More than anything, that is what it means to be emerging, not simply new, but brave enough to be seen before you’re sure.

This is the first edition of the Emerging Talent issue of Photography+. In previous years, we produced the Graduate Issue, one of our most successful series to date. It featured work by recent BA and MA graduates, many of whom have since carved out visible places in the photography world. Therefore, this year we have made our boundaries more porous, we have continued to recognise and embrace the important role that formal education plays in artists’ development, but circumstances have shifted, the art world has grown narrower. University fees have in many cases climbed beyond reach. And outside of the gates of academia lie countless others–just as capable, just as thoughtful–who remain unseen. This new issue begins with a simple idea: talent does not only come with a qualification. It is not limited to those with formal training or institutional access. It also belongs to the self-taught, those working without support, therefore we welcomed submissions this year from anyone within the first five years of practice, with or without a degree or postgrad.

We received over 1,000 applications from around the world. In total, 9,312 images were viewed for the first time by our team, Danit Ariel, Natalia González, and Josie Saunders, who compiled the longlist. The final selection was made by Katy Hundertmark, curator and managing editor at Foam Museum in Amsterdam; Mariama Attah, director of Metal Culture in Liverpool; Jermaine Francis, artist and associate lecturer at the Royal College of Art; Louise Fedotov-Clements, director of Photoworks, and Amin Yousefi, Assistant Curator and Photography+ Editor of Photoworks. They reviewed the longlist, selected the featured artists, and shaped the issue with clarity and care. We thank them for their judgment and time.

Ten artists were selected: Sadiq Al-Harasi (Yemen), Shaohan Fang (China), Anieya Cauthen (US), Briar Marsh Pine (US), Zahra Babaei (Iran), Alcira Angelo (Bolivia), Lê Nguyên Phương (Vietnam), Eva Rivas Bao (Italy), Bas van den Elzen (Netherlands), Leonardo Taddei (Italy). Two of the artists also received special prizes. Zahra Babaei was awarded a one-year Photoworks membership and mentoring from our curatorial and editorial teams. Shaohan Fang received a printing voucher and an Instagram takeover from our partner, Spectrum Photographic. This issue features a comprehensive essay by Carolina Semprucci, one of our 2025 writers in residence, who explores the work of this year’s winners. Carolina reflects on how photography serves as a tool for reconstructing memory, challenging dominant narratives, and creating space for new ways of seeing–and being seen–as an emerging artist today.

We thank all who applied for this opportunity. We recognise the time and effort it took to submit your work. Choosing only ten projects was no easy task. Many submissions carried weight, urgency, and a clear need to be seen. We are grateful to our jurors, who made their selections with care and precision. Thanks also to the Photoworks team, Arts Council England, our printing patrons, Spectrum Photographic, and the community that continues to support this work.

If the future of photography is uncertain, it is also full of possibility, and within that uncertainty, new ways of seeing are already taking form.

Amin Yousefi
Editor