/ 2025 / Portraiture / Culture

• Prize
  Honorable Mention
• Photographer
  Dana Soady, United States

For decades, Nipponzan-Myōhōji monk Sasamori-Shonin has dreamed of standing before the ancient Ellora Caves. Carved into the cliffs of western India, the site’s Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain shrines symbolize enduring religious coexistence. Now, as he prepares for a peace walk ending at the Sankorankovil Peace Pagoda—built where a fellow monk was martyred—his visit takes on deeper meaning. This photo series captures not just a pilgrimage, but a tribute: from ancient unity to a modern call for peace across faiths, borders, and generations.