Dates: October 16 (Fri) – October 26 (Mon), 2026 (Open throughout the day)
Venue: KYOBASHI EDOGRAND 1F Galleria
Admission: Free
FUJIFILM Corporation is pleased to announce its collaboration with T3 PHOTO FESTIVAL TOKYO 2026, an international photography festival showcasing diverse photographic expressions from Japan and around the world. As part of this collaboration, Fujifilm will present the GFX Challenge Grant Program 2025 Exhibition at the KYOBASHI EDOGRAND 1F Galleria in Tokyo.
Captured with the GFX System, featuring a large format image sensor, the exhibited works explore diverse landscapes, cultures, and the unique stories that thrive across the globe. The exhibition will feature a wide range of projects, including documentaries that closely observe everyday life, intimate portraits that reveal the essence of their subjects, breathtaking works created during the extraordinary challenge of summiting Mount Everest, and visual narratives that harness the exceptional image quality and advanced video capabilities of the GFX System.
Located in the heart of Tokyo, the KYOBASHI EDOGRAND 1F Galleria offers an inviting exhibition environment characterized by its expansive atrium, open architecture, and abundant natural light. In this comfortable and accessible space, where artworks, the city, and its visitors connect organically, each project can be experienced at a relaxed pace, allowing visitors to fully engage with the stories embedded within every work.
This exhibition marks the beginning of a traveling showcase that will continue beyond Tokyo to Osaka and other locations around the world. The fifteen stories presented here, each born from different countries, cultures, and perspectives, will embark on a new journey across borders and communities. We invite visitors to encounter these unique narratives in Kyobashi, Tokyo, the first stop on this global tour, and discover the worlds observed by each creator through the remarkable storytelling power of photography and moving image.
About the GFX Challenge Grant Program
The GFX Challenge Grant Program is a grant initiative organized by FUJIFILM Corporation to support creators with a strong passion for visual storytelling and artistic expression. Open to photographers and filmmakers around the world, the program is designed to help bring original ideas and ambitious projects to life, fostering new creative possibilities and encouraging innovative forms of visual expression. Through financial support, equipment, and global exposure opportunities, the program empowers creators to pursue meaningful projects that push the boundaries of photography and filmmaking, while inspiring new perspectives on the world around us.
* For more information about the grant program, award winners, and their projects, please visit the link below:
https://www.fujifilm-x.com/gfx-challenge-grant-program/
Exhibition Information
Exhibition:
Fujifilm GFX Challenge Grant Program 2025 Award Winners’ Exhibition
Dates:
October 16 (Fri) – October 26 (Mon), 2026
Open throughout the day
Venue:
KYOBASHI EDOGRAND 1F Galleria
2-2-1 Kyobashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0031, Japan
Admission:
Free
Organizer:
FUJIFILM Corporation
This exhibition is scheduled to travel to additional venues in Japan and overseas following its debut in Tokyo. Further details regarding the touring schedule will be announced on the Fujifilm website and other official channels as they become available.
Award-Winning Creators and Projects
Global Grant Award (5 groups)
Hsu Hao-Han (Taiwan)
「Urban Additions」
‘Dinglou jiagai’ represent an ongoing dialogue between residents and architecture. Evolving with necessity, these structures prompt reflection on housing rights and habitability within this unique urban paradox.
Hao-Han Hsu (b. 1998) is a UK-trained Taiwanese architectural photographer. His work explores how photographic representation reveals architecture’s social role and has earned recognition in competitions and exhibitions.
Website ：https://hsuhaohan.com/
Instagram ：https://www.instagram.com/arthurhsu_photography/
Julia Siu-Yin Ngeow & Rebecca Basaure (USA)
「Asháninka: Wisdom of the Healers」
The Asháninka are the largest Indigenous group in Peru’s Amazon, with a traditional system of medicine that combines extensive pharmacopoeia and rituals that jointly restore physical and spiritual balance, and the health of the ecosystem.
They’re creating a bilingual photographic “recipe book” documenting Indigenous plant medicines in Peru via Asháninka community healers, prioritizing the female perspective in our storytelling.
Julia Siu-Yin Ngeow is a Chinese-Australian film director with a background in *STEM, based in NYC, who has created award-winning documentaries across the globe.
Rebecca Basaure is a Bolivian-American filmmaker creating character-driven films on environmental and social themes, including Refugio and Imillaskate, with credits across Netflix, Disney, Apple, PBS, and National Geographic.
*STEM refers to the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, encompassing education and research in these four disciplines.
Instagram ：https://www.instagram.com/juliangeow/
https://www.instagram.com/rbasaure/
https://www.instagram.com/pachamama_sabia/
Lee-Ann Olwage (South Africa)
「Weaving Stars and Palm Leaves」
Amazigh women weave stories rooted in spiritual and ancestral connections to their land into traditional rugs, illustrating the intrinsic relationship between humans and nature.
Lee-Ann Olwage is a visual storyteller from South Africa who tells stories about gender, identity, community and the relationship between humans and nature through intimate portraits and documentary projects.
Website ：https://www.leeannolwage.com/
Instagram ：https://www.instagram.com/leeannolwage/
Wang Jiayi (Chinese Mainland)
「Human Sagas at Vertical Extremes」
This project documents the parallel lives of miners and mountain guides who endure Earth’s most extreme vertical environments—from the intense heat and pressure 2,000 meters underground in Asia’s deepest gold mine, China’s Sanshandao Gold Mine, to the sub-zero temperatures and thin air 8,848 meters high on Mount Everest.
Wang Jiayi is a PhD candidate in Geology at China University of Geosciences, Beijing, specializing in orogenic gold systems. An experienced mountaineer, he has summited multiple peaks above 7,000 meters. As a scientific photographer, he integrates high-resolution imaging—from microphotography to drone mapping—into geological research.
Yasutaka Seki (Japan)
「Destination」
Seventy years after his relatives moved to Bolivia, four generations have emerged. “Destination” examines how blended cultures shape their evolving identity across distance and time.
Yasutaka Seki is a Japanese photographer exploring identity, memory, and cultural belonging through documentary-based projects rooted in personal history and overlooked narratives.
Website ：https://yasutakaseki.com
Instagram ：https://www.instagram.com/y.s.photo_art
Regional Grant Award (10 groups)
Arvind Patwal (India)
「The School of Second Chances」
A documentary project capturing elderly women at India’s only grandmothers’ school, revealing how late-life education becomes an act of resilience, dignity, and personal transformation.
Arvind Patwal is a Delhi-based photographer documenting India’s festivals, rituals, and everyday life through human-centred storytelling, capturing cultural nuances and local narratives shaped by over seven years of travel.
Floyd Gonzales (Canada)
「Kulturang Suot (Culture Worn)」
Kulturang Suot (Culture Worn) explores how traditional Filipino garments live, transform, and hold meaning within the Filipino diaspora in Canada. Through portraits, motion vignettes, and collaborative styling, this project aims to highlight pieces such as the barong, Filipiñana, and bolero as symbols of cultural memory, worn both traditionally and reimagined.
Floyd Gonzales is a Filipino-Canadian photographer exploring identity and heritage through portraiture, fashion, and documentary work, focusing on cultural stories from the Filipino diaspora and how tradition evolves outside the homeland.
Instagram ：https://www.instagram.com/the_floyd_g/
Gian Marco Sanna (Italy)
「The Hidden People」
The project explores the deep connection between Iceland and its mythology, examining how ancient legends continue to shape local identity and perceptions of reality. Iceland, a land of primordial contrasts, offers a landscape that is itself a silent storyteller.
Gian Marco Sanna (1993), photographer and curator, has published the books Malagrotta, Agarthi and Paradise, exhibiting internationally at festivals and galleries.
Website ：https://www.gianmarcosanna.com/
Instagram ：https://www.instagram.com/gian_marco_sanna/
Jacob Sigala (USA)
「The Real Portrait of America」
This photo series honors the immigrant story by reframing and elevating everyday laborers through gilded, Victorian-style portraits, flipping the script on who history says is worthy of honor.
Jacob Sigala is an LA-born, Mexican-raised photographer and filmmaker exploring identity, place, and culture through reflective imagery that invites presence, perspective, and human connection.
Instagram ：https://www.instagram.com/jacobsmedium/
Jooyoung Kim (Korea)
「The Mother-of-Pearl Luminance」
“Mother of Pearl” explores the relationship between surface and depth through macro photographs of nacre. At its core lies the belief that even the smallest things can contain something profound.
Jooyoung Kim explores the possibilities of two-dimensional photographic expression through macro photography and the visual effects created by malfunctioning cameras. She co-founded Studio Millionroses and published Subject, Object.
Instagram ：https://www.instagram.com/kimjooyounq/
Juan Francisco Suescún (Colombia)
「A Reef Within」
Juan Francisco’s photography projects document Colombia’s wild frontiers, exploring the changing relationship between people, culture, and landscape while highlighting conservation challenges and opportunities.
Juan Francisco’s photographic work focuses on the relationship between people, culture, and landscape in some of the wild frontiers found in his home country, Colombia. His work is aimed at contributing to efforts in ocean conservation, wildlife, and biodiversity.
Instagram ：juanfranciscosuescun
Portfolio ：https://juanfranciscosuescun.format.com/journal
Kemal Bećirević (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
「To Be Yourself」
Wild horses on the Kruzi plateau, now fully wild and free, mirror the artist’s own search for inner freedom. Their presence teaches that true freedom is a state of mind.
Kemal Bećirević is a designer and photographer based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He has been working professionally in photography since 2009, with a particular focus on night landscapes. He was one of the pioneers of photographing the Milky Way above Bosnia, which helped define his distinctive style.
Website ：https://www.kemalbecirevic.com
Instagram ：https://www.instagram.com/kemal_becirevic
Kristopher Taveras (USA)
「Eccentric」
Eccentric follows a young man’s all-night obsessive hunt for a trapped fly spirals into a collapse, revealing the devastating weight of untreated schizophrenia. Through tight framing, textured lighting, and detailed sound design, the film transforms a single room into a claustrophobic portrait of an invisible illness slowly crushing a person from within.
Kristopher Taveras is the director and producer behind Krispy Productions and KREATE, whose innovative films and immersive events build new spaces for culture, creativity, and connection.
Website ：https://www.krispyproductions.co/
Instagram ：https://www.instagram.com/kreatestudios_/
Manuel Michael (Nigeria)
「OUR CROWN (The Shape of Us)」
“OUR CROWN (The Shape of Us)” explores Nigerian men’s hairstyles as symbols of identity and pride, blending barbershop intimacy with fashion portraiture to challenge stereotypes and redefine perception.
Manuel Michael is a self-taught fashion and editorial photographer based in Abuja, Nigeria, creating evocative images where fashion, identity, and storytelling meet.
Yolanda & Alex (Germany)
「No Borders, Only Threads」
“No Borders, Only Threads” explores identity and third-culture experience, blending traditional and modern fashion to reflect a borderless humanity shaped by hybrid communities and stories.
YOLANDA x ALEX are a Munich photography duo blending fashion, design, painterly influences, and the aesthetics of early studio photography to create emotionally resonant imagery.
Instagram ：https://www.instagram.com/yolandaxalex
Website ：https://www.yolandaxalex.com
Judges
Brendan Embser
Senior Editor (Aperture)
Brendan Embser is a senior editor at Aperture. He is the editor of Aperture books by David Alekhuogie, Arielle Bobb-Willis, Chloe Dewe Mathews, Ethan James Green, Deana Lawson, Philip Montgomery, Ming Smith, and Wendy Red Star. Brendan has served on the jury for the Addis Foto Fest, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Foto Tallinn, Tallinn, Estonia; Sony World Photography Awards; and WMA Masters, Hong Kong. He is also the cocurator of the exhibition Tyler Mitchell: Wish This Was Real. Formerly director of exhibitions at The Walther Collection, New York, his writing has appeared in Apartamento, n+1, and The New York Times.
Amanda Maddox
Curator and Arts Consultant
Amanda Maddox is an independent curator. She previously worked as lead curator at World Press Photo, and as an associate curator of photography at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC and at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. She has organized or co-organized numerous exhibitions, including Dora Maar (2020); Gordon Parks: The Flávio Story (2019); Now Then: Chris Killip and the Making of In Flagrante (2017); and Ishiuchi Miyako: Postwar Shadows (2015). She serves on the advisory council of the Josef Koudelka Foundation.
Lesley A. Martin
Executive Director of Printed Matter, Inc.
Lesley A. Martin is Executive Director of Printed Matter, Inc. and founding publisher of The PhotoBook Review. Her writing on photography has been published in Aperture, IMA magazine, and FOAM, among other publications, and she has edited more than 150 books of photography, including On the Beach by Richard Misrach; Illuminance by Rinko Kawauchi; The New Black Vanguard by Antwaun Sargent; and, with Pauline Vermare, is the co-editor of “I’m So Happy You Are Here: Japanese Women Photographers from the 1950s Until Now” Martin co-founded the Paris Photo–Aperture Foundation PhotoBook Awards in 2012, and received the Royal Photographic Society award for outstanding achievement in Photographic Publishing in 2020. She teaches at the Yale University Graduate School of Art.
Masako Sato
Curator & Founder Contact. Co., Ltd.
Masako Sato graduated from Sophia University in Tokyo. She organized the exhibition of photography in Pacific Press Service (PPS) in Tokyo. After leaving PPS, studied French in Paris. She has worked as a freelance coordinator whilst organizing various photography exhibitions. Founded Contact. Co., Ltd. in 2013, and has since organized and curated many travelling exhibitions such as Robert Doisneau, Jacques Henri Lartigue, Shoji Ueda, Shigeo Gocho, and the first retrospective of Saul Leiter’s works in Japan.
Pauline Vermare
Phillip and Edith Leonian Curator of Photography, Brooklyn Museum, New York
Pauline Vermare is the curator of photography at the Brooklyn Museum, New York. She was formerly the cultural director of Magnum Photos NY, and a curator at the International Center of Photography (ICP). She previously held positions at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation, in Paris. She is the author of numerous publications on photography. She sits on the boards of the Saul Leiter Foundation and the Catherine Leroy Fund.
