The judging of the still pictures categories at the 80th College Photographer of the Year concluded Sunday, October 26 and DMJX students won a total of 11 prizes in six different categories. In the category for International Picture Story six of the seven awards went to DMJX students.
Finalist
PORTRAIT
Signe Lægsgaard
Photo: Signe Lægsgaard for Politiken – made during her internship. Signe is currently studying on seventh term.
Gold
INTERNATIONAL PICTURE STORY
Nicolai West
Greenland’s future is being pulled and torn by the persistent interest of the United States and other global powers. Yet behind the worn facades of the many concrete housing blocks, everyday life for the island’s inhabitants quietly continues.
Today, the large concrete housing blocks make up a significant share of Greenland’s homes. They have done so ever since the Danish state, in the 1960s and 1970s, decided to modernize the island’s infrastructure through an ambitious centralization strategy.
Over time, the blocks have become so deeply integrated into Greenlandic society that one might say a new culture has grown out of them. This project visits the residents of Sletten and explores life in the shadow of these buildings.
Photo: Nicolai West for Politiken – made during his internship. Nicolai is currently studying on seventh term. First picture in his winning series of ten images.
Finalist
INTERNATIONAL PICTURE STORY
Signe Lægsgaard
On October 29, 2024, an unusual amount of rain led to catastrophic conditions in towns close to the mountains west of Valencia, including the towns of Paiporta and Massanassa. 222 people lost their lives, and the destruction in the affected towns was enormous. A month later, the consequences of the flooding were still very visible – especially among the locals who had lost their belongings, childhood homes or, in some cases, their lives.
Something resembling an absurd play was unfolding on the stage of the local music school in the town of Massanassa. A soiled grand piano was being chopped up with an axe and hammer so that soldiers in protective suits could carry it out to a container. The room, which was previously used for performances and concerts, is located in the basement and was thus transformed into a brown aquarium when the water came. Consequently, it had to be emptied of inventory, mud, and sludge.
Photo: Signe Lægsgaard for Politiken – made during her internship. Signe is currently studying on seventh term. Second picture in her winning series of eight images.
Finalist
INTERNATIONAL PICTURE STORY
Frederik Kongsgaard
In Sweden, teenagers as young as 15 can legally drive – as long as they stay under 30 km/h. This has given rise to a unique youth culture centered around the so-called EPA tractors.
In Sunne, a small town in Värmland, 9th graders from Fryxellska school gather every day after school at the local square. Some days, just a handful of cars line up, side by side. Other days, as many as 15 fill the square with music, smoke, and laughter. For these young adults, the EPA is more than just a vehicle – It’s a way to connect, build friendships, and feel a sense of freedom on the road towards adulthood.
Hampus Nielson, 15 years old, just finished working on Abbe’s car to get it ready for the weekend, Friday, March 21, 2024, in Sunne, Sweden. Hampus and Abbe met at the parking lot in Sunne a year ago and quickly became close friends through their shared interest in cars.
Photo: Frederik Kongsgaard from his fourth term project Thirty Kilometers per Hour made in the early spring 2025. First picture in his winning series of 7 images
Award of Excellence
INTERNATIONAL PICTURE STORY
Liv Latricia Habel
This series explores the resilience of Somaliland’s democracy, juxtaposing its populations aspirations for international recognition with the nations de facto statehood.
Somaliland declared its independence from Somalia in 1991 and has ever since operated as a de facto state, maintaining a parliamentary democracy as an enclave surrounded by authoritarian neighboring countries. On November 13th 2024, Somaliland held its fourth democratic presidential election, despite political and economic constraints. Opposition leader Abdirahman Mohamed Abdulahi “Cirro” claimed victory with 64% of the vote, marking a pivotal moment in the nation’s history.
A big crowd of Somalilanders attend an electoral rally in November 2024 held by the biggest opposition party Waddani in Hargeisa, Somaliland. Thousands were gathered in the countrys capital Hargeisa to see the presidential candidate Abdirahman “Cirro” speak during his campaign for the 4. democratic elections. For many citizens, the national elections are more than a political event, the elections mark a step towards the recognition Somaliland has been fighting for over the past 30 years.
Photo: Liv Latricia Habel from her BA-project made in the fall 2024.
Award of Excellence
INTERNATIONAL PICTURE STORY
Cecilie Rolvung
In West Greenland, the east coast is called Tunu. It means “the backside.” The name comes partly from the harsh weather, which makes the coast difficult to access, and partly because the east coast was colonized 100 years later than the west coast. But it also reflects the fact that East Greenland faces some of the country’s most severe social problems: suicide, sexual abuse, violence, and substance misuse.
The youth culture house is one of many initiatives in East Greenland trying to address serious social problems in a town where more than 25 percent of the population are children and young people under 18, yet where it can be difficult to see a future. “Greenland is enormous, and it’s not like you can just go home for the weekend—it costs 10,000 kroner to get here from the west coast. That keeps many from even leaving in the first place,” says Hans Poul Andersen, who is leading the youth culture house i Tasiilaq, and continues, “For now, for many, it remains just a dream. Maybe one day, some of the boys on the couch in the youth culture house will find the strength to make it a reality. Until then, they have to settle for the small but vital light it brings to have a place worth getting up for in the morning.”
Photo: Cecilie Rolvung for Politiken – made during her internship. Cecilie is currently studying on seventh term. First picture in her winning series of ten images.
Award of Excellence
INTERNATIONAL PICTURE STORY
Loui Pedersen
In a remote corner of the Arctic near the Russian border, three young men find clarity through hard work, wilderness, and sub-zero solitude far from modern distractions. Here they begin to understand who they are and who they might become. About an hour and a half outside the town of Kirkenes, in the far north of Norway, lies the farm Leite. There, Tobias Daugaard-Petersen lives with his wife, their two children, and their sled dogs. Alongside them live three young men from Denmark.
Grounds of the farm Leite where the boys stay and learn about the arctic life and survival. The boys are preparing the dogs to go sledding in the winter sun.
Photo: Loui Pedersen from his fourth term project Before the River Melts made in the early spring 2025. First picture in his winning series of ten images
Finalist
GENERAL NEWS
Cecilie Rolvung
Photo: Cecilie Rolvung for Politiken – made during her internship. Cecilie is currently studying on seventh term.
Award of Excellence
INTERPRETIVE EYE
Cara Penquite
Brown hens are curious by nature, so when a person enters their barn they swarm towards you, often stepping on each other to get there.
Photo: Cara Penquite, made at her home university, University of Missouri. Cara is currently an exchange student at DMJX’s Photo 2 programme.
Finalist
DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHIC STORY
Dicte Sønnichsen
In the American West, girls are raised by their fathers to be self-reliant. From a young age, they learn how to drive a pickup truck so that they later can haul their horses in a trailer. These are girls whose biggest wish for their 21st birthday is a handgun. Girls who have never left the country or seen the ocean. They’ve been on horseback for as long as they can remember and aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. They are deeply connected to the land and nature – and they’re all part of the same rodeo team in Colorado.
Justice Jones (21) at practise on her horse Pepper. Justice is from Canada and moved to Grand Junction to attend Colorado Mesa College and to be a part of the Rodeo team. When she was younger her dream was to become a marine biologist even though she has never seen the ocean. Her main Rodeoevent is Goat Tying which she qualifyed in at the College Rodeo finals summer of 2025 in Wyoming. Goat tying is a college rodeo event where riders race to dismount their horse, catch, and tie a goat as quickly as possible. Historically, the skill comes from ranch work, where tying livestock was essential for branding, doctoring, or moving animals safely.
Photo: Dicte Sønnichsen from her fourth term project Untamed Lands made in the early spring 2025. First picture in her winning series of 12 images
Award of Excellence
PORTFOLIO
Dicte Sønnichsen
At a boys’ home in Lusaka, 25 former street boys now live together. They carry heavy stories of violence, abuse, and neglect – yet also tales of brotherhood, community, and resilience, where the will to survive has long been their daily driving force. Nsansa means joy in one of Zambia’s local languages.
Papa (14) —whose real name is Joseph — lost both parents and lived on the streets before coming to Nsansa. His deep voice earned him the nickname “Papa” from the other boys. He dreams of becoming a car mechanic.
Photo by Dicte Sønnichsen – from her winning port folio