"Reaching"
Location: Nanjing, China
Date: June 2019
Photographer: Justine Franklin
University Affiliation: Graduate Student
Home Country: United States
Category: People
Award: Honorable Mention
In the artist’s own words: "In a loud and busy tourist area of Nanjing, a side street opened up into what seemed to almost be another place entirely. A latticework of synthetic vines created an artificial ceiling that glass spheres with paper talismans hung from. The store connected to this colorful nook sold decorative hearts that innumerable people wrote their hopes for the future upon, then hung them to share with the world. It was a nameless place, but my favorite discovery on my trip. The focus of this photo, the little girl, reaches out to the water the bronze dragon adorned in hearts spills forth, just as every heart has a glimpse of its writer reaching out to the reader."