2026 National Competition
Juror, Joanna Lehan

Juror’s Statement from Joanna Lehan

Managing Curator, The Museum of the City of New York

What is the visual language with which a photographer conveys their awe, their grief, their playfulness, or their longing? How does their work express their own singular experience of what makes the world— what makes each moment— interesting? These are questions I asked myself while looking through the thirteen hundred-plus images in this visual banquet.

Despite understanding the assignment, I found it nearly impossible to choose images outside of the context of each photographer’s work. A photograph that is perfectly resolved in its composition and execution can be a breathtaking poem unto itself, or it can unconsciously render a version of a familiar story. Likewise, a single image can speak quietly on its own, yet when considered in context of an artist’s grander project, it can stand in for a whole world of meaning. The difference is the vision of the artist.

Sharing one’s vision is both courageous and generous, and it’s been a privilege to jury this bounty of diverse work from so many dedicated photographers. Keep looking. Keep creating.