Honorable Mention / 2016 / Portraiture / Culture

Ready for a Suitor

This young woman is from the Miao ethnic minority group, one of
the 55 ethnic groups in China. Once a year, young women of
marrying age will dress up in their traditional garment, adorn
themselves with the family silver and dance for hours in a circle in
front of the unmarried young men hoping to get a suitor.

France Leclerc, born in Quebec, Canada, is an independent photographer who currently lives in Chicago. Her early career was in academia, but she decided to make a change to pursue her true passion for photography. The most prominent themes of her work are culture (especially disappearing ones), gender, and social inequality. She likes to describe her work as “life photography”, though her approach is a mix between documentary and street photography.

Awards 2023 LensCulture Photography Festival, Third Place
2022 Miami Street Photography Festival, Third Place
2021 PX3 Gold Medal Street Photography Category
2021 PX3 Bronze Medal Press Category
2021 PX3 State of the World, Shortlisted
2021 Portrait of Humanity, Finalist
2021 IPA Award People and Lifestyle, Honorable Mention
2021 Siena International Photo Award, Journeys, and Adventure, Honorable Mention