DMJX students have won four First Prizes, two Finalist Places and two Award of Excellences in the still picture and video categories at the 81st College Photographer of the Year.
The DMJX winners are:
Dicte Sønnichsen
Winner of the Alexia/CPOY Project Grant
Justice Jones (21) on her horse Pepper during rodeo practice at the college’s training facility. Justice is from Canada and moved to Grand Junction to study at Colorado Mesa College. When she relocated, she drove 1,813 km from Canada to Colorado with her two horses in a trailer. Her primary discipline is Goat Tying, and once again this year she has qualified for the college finals. Last year she won the discipline and was named the best Goat Tier in the region. Her goal this year is to defend her title, but in the last few competitions she hasn’t earned enough points.
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.
Photo by Dicte Sønnichsen from her project ‘Untamed Lands’ made in the spring 2025 during fourth term at DMJX.
Sanne Houwers and Rosa Huuska
Winners in Multimedia Documentary
Asbjørn, a Danish man in his late twenties, spends entire nights searching the coast for amber. Amber is fossilized tree resin that has hardened over millions of years. For centuries, amber hunters have walked the shores of Denmark searching the for amber which surfaces from the seabed after storms. Asbjørn is drawn to the solitude, the rush of the hunt, and the amber itself. To him, amber hunting is more than a hobby. While socializing and finding his place among others can feel difficult, searching for amber comes natural to him. He feels that amber hunting is something he is meant to do, something that makes him feel at ease. Through his reflections, the film explores themes of belonging, purpose, and finding meaning in life.
Screenshot from the video documentary by Sanne Houwers and Rosa Huuska made during their Photo 1 study at DMJX in the fall 2025.
Frederik Kongsgaard
Winner in Portrait Category
Erzsébet Siska, 95, photographed before the Hungarian Election, 2026. At 95, she is old enough to remember when Soviet troops came to Hungary towards the end of the Second World War and shot women who refused to be raped by them. Today, at the age of 95, she praises Orbán because he promises to keep the peace and protect Hungarian men from the war in Ukraine. Despite the fear of ever again falling into the hands of the communists, She supports Orbán, whose government has maintained close political and economic ties with Russia. She gets her news primarily from strongly pro-government Hungarian media and is unaware of the extent of these ties.
Photo: Frederik Kongsgaard, made during his internship at Berlingske.
Loui Pedersen
Winner Domestic Picture Story
On the Faroe Islands’ southernmost island, Suðuroy, an old tradition is carried out. A couple of the island’s residents fire old rifles at the island’s mountain peaks, honouring the newlyweds and wishing them good luck in their marriage.
While Trump threatens Greenland, things are going swimmingly in the Faroe Islands. Money is pouring in. The US and China have developed a huge appetite for Faroese salmon. In fact, the economy is so strong that the Faroese could break away from Denmark if they wanted to. But they don’t want to. At least, not right now.
Photo from the series ‘Something has changed in the Faroe Islands’ by Loui Pedersen, made during his internship at Politiken.
Zifan Zhang
Finalist in Documentary Photographic Project
Family at one viewing platform in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Nov. 12, 2025.
Following the 2024 Crocus City Hall attack in Moscow, Russia sharply tightened its migration policies, deporting more than 17,000 Tajik workers. For decades, labour migration to Russia has been a lifeline for Tajikistan, the former Soviet Union’s poorest state, where remittances account for a large share of national GDP and often determine family survival.
Now, in Dushanbe, men crowd informal roadside job markets, competing for rare and often exploitative short-term construction work. Many are recent deportees, pushed back into poverty after years abroad. As debt accumulates and families remain separated, the “Russian Dream” is fading. In its place, some young Tajiks are looking toward the East, like China, whose growing presence offers a powerful but uncertain alternative. This project documents individuals caught between waiting, returning home, and searching for a new future.
Photo by Zifan Zhang from his story ‘Fading Dream’ that he made as his final Diploma Project in the fall 2025.
Claire Nguyen and Lilou Vanderheyden
Finalists in Multimedia Documentary
Nicklas has been blind since birth; he has never seen the world. In this short documentary, he shares how he experiences his surroundings through sound, feelings and how recording audio helps him capture memories.
Screenshot from the video documentary by Claire Nguyen and Lilou Vanderheyden, made during their Photo 1 study in the spring 2026.
Frederik Kongsgaard
Award of Excellence in Domestic Picture Story
A new generation in Denmark learns to prepare for a war it has never known. Thirty-two young Danes become the first conscripted drone soldiers. Testing the future of warfare while discovering what it means to become a soldier.
21-year-old Paprika Gjerulff is one of the soldiers of the future: “Only now have I realized how historic and significant the work we are doing is.”
Photo from the story First Flight made by Frederik Kongsgaard during his internship at Berlingske.
Frederik Kongsgaard
Award of excellence in Portrait Category
A new generation learns to prepare for a war it has never known. Thirty-two young Danes become the first conscripted drone soldiers. Testing the future of warfare while discovering what it means to become a soldier. 20-year-old Sebastian Lysthøj chose to serve in the military because of the current security situation, he says. “To be able to protect Denmark in the event of war.”
Portrait by Frederik Kongsgaard made during his internship at Berlingske.