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Plastic Treasure

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Alain Schroeder - Color Photography Contest 2023 | 1st Place | Professional

Alain Schroeder

Belgium

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In Uzgen, Kyrgyzstan, a wealthy local man, has organized a massive game of Alaman-Ulak to celebrate the 13th birthday of his son Cherniaz. Thousands of riders have come to compete for the prizes he is offering ;10 horses, 10 yaks, 10 camels, and the grand prize of the final game, a Lada brand car.

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Honorable Mention

Gold

Dead Goat Polo

India, Kolhapur. Kushti is a traditional form of Indian wrestling. Wrestlers relaxing after training. One wrestler examines the eye of another who has something in his eye. Living and training together promotes camaraderie, solidarity and fraternity in this universe where time has stood still.

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1st Place

Kushti

Portrait of people living on the  Upper East Side in Manhattan.
59th to 96th street are vertically dissected by famous avenues such as Park, Madison and Fifth, from the East River to the edge of Central Park. 
The Upper East Side is widely considered New York City’s most affluent neighborhood.

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Nominee

Upper East Side

Sumatran orangutans are threatened by deforestation from human activities. Organizations like SOCP rescue, rehabilitate and reintroduce orangutans into protected forests. These pictures show their daily life in the clinic and quarantine center.

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Bronze

Saving Orangutans

In Isaan, kids are enrolled in Muay Thai (the martial art that is the country’s national sport) as early as 5, and can be competing by 6-7 years old. Betting is fierce and the pressure on them is palpable. For poor kids, Muay Thai is a way of helping their families and a chance at a better life.

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Silver

Photographer of the Year

Muay Thai Kids

Bangladesh, a brick factory,

Men collecting bricks in a fine cloud of dust that covers them completely as it settles, transforming them into earth statues and endangering their health.

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Brick Prison

Kok Boru is the national sport in Kyrgyzstan. In the village of Uzgen, Osh region, more than 170 horses (in this picture) and men push and shove each other as they fight for possession of a young 60 kg bull. The grand prize of the final game, a Lada brand car.

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Jeju island, South Korea. It is the home of the Haenyeo or women of the sea who free dive harvesting delicacies from the sea. Wearing thin rubber suits and old fashioned goggles, this aging group of women are inscribed on the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

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Grandma Divers

At the Taekwando Palace in Pyongyang, North Korea, a group of athletes simultaneously execute a tul, a series of offensive and defensive techniques against one or several virtual adversaries. In the foreground, stacks of tiles and pieces of wood the athletes will break with their hands and feet.

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Taekwando

Pyongyang, North Korea.

A young woman, wearing traditional clothing, snaps a selfie with her all-female group in front of the Anti-Japanese Revolutionary Struggle monument. The 50-meter-long tribute depicts over 200 statues of soldiers followed by a crowd of factory workers, farmers, etc.

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Kim City 2

Pyongyang, North Korea.

The Mass Games, also known as the Arirang Festival.
17000 students seated in the grandstand facing the public simultaneously unfold colored panels to form sweeping grand images. Each person represents a pixel in the overall image.

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Taekwando 2

Indonesia,
Sulawesi, Toraja. Ma' Nene ceremony, or cleaning of the corpses. Coffins are opened and the mummies are cleaned and given a change of clothes. Expressions of sadness are mixed with the overall happy atmosphere surrounding these moments of bonding with loved ones and honoring ancestors.

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Living for Death

Jeju island, in South Korea, is the home of the  Haenyeo or women of the sea who free dive harvesting delicacies from the sea. Wearing rubber suits and old fashioned goggles, these aging women are celebrated as a national treasure and inscribed on the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

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Pyongyang, North Korea.
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) remains one of the most isolated and secretive nations in the world and has been ruled by three generations of the Kim dynasty.

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Kim City

The 3 Portes café was located in the neighborhood of Les Marolles on the Place du Jeu de Balle in Brussels. It was an everyday meeting place for local people to socialize, drink, dance and flirt.  It unfortunately no longer exists.

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Brussels Cafe

Recycling plastic in Dhaka, Bangladesh, is a significant environmental effort. The city faces challenges related to plastic waste due to its rapid urbanization and population growth. Various initiatives and informal recycling networks have emerged to address the issue.