Crossings: Laura Pannack’s award-winning images of South African youth

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According to the Guardian, British visual artist and photographer Laura Pannack has been named the winner of the inaugural Tom Stoddart Award for Excellence 2025. A collaboration between Gost Books and the Ian Parry Photojournalism Grant, the award supports photographers engaged in long-form documentary work. Pannack’s project, 'Crossings', examines the journey to and from school for young people in South Africa, a country with one of the world’s highest levels of social inequality and a rapidly growing youth population. The project utilizes analogue photography, painting, and creative workshops to provide a space for youth to reflect on their experiences in environments where vulnerability, danger, friendship, and freedom coexist. The report highlights that for many of these young people, the daily commute involves navigating invisible boundaries set by gang culture and facing risks such as random gunfire.