/ 2025 / Portraiture / Culture

• Prize
  Honorable Mention
• Photographer
  James Ward Breen, Australia
• Date of Photograph
  4/9/2023
• Studio
  Breathe Films Pty Ltd
• Website
  http://jameswardbreen.com
• Instagram
  @jameswardbreen

Young Swazi women dance and sing bare breasted on their way to the main parade grounds during the Umhlanga Reed Dance in Eswatini. Up to 40,000 girls take part in the parade appearing before King Mswati III and the public as a symbol of femininity and strength.

Brought up in boxing gyms and brawling pubs, James Ward Breen brings this unexpected nexus to his voice as a storyteller. Dedicated to expressing the sacred, James’ work showcases his innate ability to capture the essence of the people and cultures he connects with through photography and moving images.