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Purification

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João Coelho - 2025 One Shot Photo Contest | 2nd Place Winner | Non Professional

João Coelho

Portugal

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Indifferent to an army enraged by the invasion of his territory, this man competes with flies for scraps of food. It sounds like a post-apocalyptic scenario, but it is the reality in many places in Angola for many men, women and families who live on what other people throw away every day

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Honorable Mention

Nominee

The kingdom of flies

Indifferent to an army enraged by the invasion of his territory, this man competes with flies for scraps of food. It sounds like a post-apocalyptic scenario, but this is the real life of many who survive every day on what others throw away and who have no idea that this kingdom of flies exists

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Silver

They depend on what the garbage trucks dump on this plain every day. But there are days when even the dump is ungrateful to them. Today, they couldn't find anything to eat or to trade for food. Today they know their son won't go to sleep hungry

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Desperation

They were born and raised with the sea right next to them, tempting and welcoming. Endless hours of playing and diving in a competition where the only winners are laughter and contagious joy. There is only water and air between them and a nakedness as innocent and natural as the water they dive into

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The freedom of nudity

A group of youths work in a ship graveyard, scavenging the hulks for pieces of iron. They battle waves and currents to reach the wrecks, injuring themselves on the sharp edges and braving death when trapped in the holds when the tide rises. Every day they risk their lives to earn a measly $150 a ton

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The iron quest

On a deserted beach, a group of believers meet with their Pastor to free themselves from the evil spirits that have taken hold of them. The liberation is only complete when they dive into the sea, lovingly led by the Pastor as he invokes God's presence to witness their purification

Gold

2nd Place

He was born and lives in a dump, a gloomy world where toys have to be invented with the right amount of imagination. A bike rim and a simple stick are enough to give birth to something new and exciting, reminding us that children can be children even in the worst places in the world to live

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How to be a real child

It all begins at the bottom of this bay—a dark world where humans are not welcome. In this realm, filled with sharp iron, a group of youths take immense risks salvaging iron to sell. It's a titanic effort that only ends on the beach when they load the heavy pieces onto motorcycles for weighing

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From the bottom of the sea

A dismembered toy they luckily find at the dump is enough to make them children again. They have learned from an early age to be adults in this sad, gray world in order to survive, but they also know that they have to help each other because they are friends forever.

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Friends forever

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Bronze

A group of men work in a ship graveyard, pulling hundreds of pounds of metal out of the water and selling it for a measly 150 dollars a ton. It's a titanic battle against giants that have fallen asleep at the bottom of the sea, that they can only win with strength, courage and teamwork

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Taming giants

A group of youths work in a ship graveyard, scavenging the hulks for pieces of iron. They battle waves and currents to reach the wrecks, injuring themselves on the sharp edges and braving death when trapped in the holds. Every day they risk their lives to earn a measly $150 per ton

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The Iron Quest

They are considered outcasts, having fled their parents' homes and the institutions where they have always been abused. They help each other escape the onslaught of police and malaria in the ruins of the city. They have all chosen to live on the wrong side of freedom.

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The wrong side of freedom

They're still children, but they have to play the role of mothers and fathers, looking after their younger siblings while their parents work. Their mothers and fathers have been through this too. But the vacant, sad looks on their faces show that they've become adults too soon

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Too soon

These young men risk their lives every day in this ship graveyard. They dive to pull iron plates out of sunken ships, using only their hands. Even when exhausted, they must find the strength to fight the waves and currents and carry the heavy pieces to the beach, where they are weighed and sold

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Exhaustion