Past winners

2025 winner: Carlyn

The winner Photo 2025: Solitary Journey

The picture was taken on a mountain in Lucerne overlooking Lake Lucerne. A boat sails lonely through the water, reflecting the attitude to life in our times: we are constantly on the move, always online, and yet often disoriented and lonely. In a world that is changing rapidly and where digital proximity is replacing real proximity, many are searching for meaning, belonging and themselves.

Carlyn Ngwa, Niederlez
Mail to Carlyn >>>

A brief conversation with Carlyn

EIZO: Hi Carlyn, you won the 2025 EIZO Student Award with a striking image. Can you take us through the process of making the photo, what happened and how you turned it into a winning image?

Carlyn: The photo was taken during a trip to Lucerne with some friends. We found a spot with an incredible view of the lake,
and as we watched the boats pass by, one caught my attention. It was farther away from the others, creating gentle
ripples in the water. I knew I had to capture that moment. The composition, the subtle motion, and the beautiful
gradient of the water are what really make it stand out in my opinion.

EIZO: This year’s theme was “Zeitgeist”. Photography being an art form, one option forgets how much technical knowledge is needed to create a good image. In your experience so far, how much instinct vs planning do you use when trying to create an image and why?

Carlyn: I believe a good balance between instinct and planning is key. While I usually plan most of my shoots, I always leave space to follow my instincts. For this photo, however, it was purely instinct. I hadn’t planned to take pictures that
day, but since I almost always carry a camera with me, I was able to recognize the moment and capture what I felt
could become a good image.

EIZO: Speaking of technical knowledge, post-production or photo editing is a big part of the job in photography and can take a good photo to a whole new level, revealing its hidden secrets. How much do you rely on your monitor to obtain the intended results.

Carlyn: Having a reliable monitor is definitely important for achieving the results I want. I’ve seen others work with EIZO
monitors and had the chance to try one myself, and I was immediately impressed by their color accuracy and
consistency. Now that I have one of my own, I can trust that what I see on screen will match the final result.

2024 winner: Melanie

Don't look at me or we'll both explode

Trying to overcome the mixed feelings of moving to a new country, a new city, and speaking a new language, I suddenly felt out of my shell and disconnected from myself. I wanted to hide and not be seen. I developed a crush on a guy from my university but felt like I was going to burst at any moment whenever I felt his - or anyone else's - attention on me.

These were my emotions during that brief moment.

See more about Melanie's work and her contact
melanierengifo.webflow.io
Mail to Melanie >>>
@mela.rengifo

A brief conversation with Melanie

EIZO: Congratulations on your award. How did you actually take the photo?

Melanie: Thanks so much! The image was made during my foundation year at ECAL. I had just arrived in Switzerland, changed career paths from political science to photography, and was slowly learning French. I felt very much out of my skin and, at times, as though I might burst under the pressure — this photo was a way of showing that. It came from an authentic place. I took time to translate this feeling into textures and materials that could express it — glass to show fragility and the potential for pain, while the natural elements conveyed a bit more softness.

EIZO: This year’s theme is “Zeitgeist.” Photography being an art form, one often forgets how much technical knowledge is needed to create a good image. In your experience so far, how much instinct vs. planning do you use when trying to create an image, and why?

Melanie: Oh wow. I’ve often battled between instinct and planning. To be free and create what you truly want, you need to plan and set some limitations. Logistics, contacting people, curating products, textures, lighting — all of this is super important so that on the day of your shoot you’re free to do as you please and create with freedom. However, sometimes things don’t work and the feeling is off. I try to listen to that and learn when it’s time to change direction.

Melanie: It’s amazing to have a monitor that gives me a true render from the digital image to its paper version. Colors are everything in photography, and when I’ve worked with EIZO, I’ve always felt confident knowing that what I see while editing is what I’ll get in print and on different digital screens. It’s one less thing to worry about.

EIZO: As part of your EIZO Student Award experience, you completed a two-day internship at Art Basel in June. How was that experience for you, and what were your main takeaways?

Melanie: A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Really, the team was so open, friendly, and inviting. I had the chance to shadow Andreas and his team, following them around before Art Basel opened. I saw the organizational side, how they interacted with galleries, and of course I assisted during shoots. It was inspiring to see the work behind such a well-known institution and the level of coordination it requires. What stood out to me was that even in such a professional setting, everyone was genuinely doing their best — and moments of stress and tension were accepted as part of the process. Once you accept that, calmness and efficiency follow.

2023 winner: Rahel

SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY

EIZO AG

Hi Rahel,
Upon receiving your brand new EIZO Monitor last Summer, you said fellow students suddenly realized they should have submitted an image or video when they saw what you had won. What would you tell people who are hesitant to participate?

Rahel

Just do it. You can't lose anything. Even if you don't win, there are often other benefits such as new experiences, learning new skills or the opportunity to outdo yourself. So why not just join in and see what happens? You might be pleasantly surprised.

EAG
You won the 2023 EIZO Student Award with an intriguing image, achieving a result you didn't expect. Can you take us through the process of making the photo, what happened and how you turned it into a winning image?

Rahel

I love working with new techniques and trying out new things. With this picture, I wanted to try to capture nature not only in the picture, but also in the picture. I took analog photographs and then soaked the film in a plant protection product. Time passed and I forgot that the film was still in there. When I wanted to develop it, I quickly realized that something was wrong. Nevertheless, I wanted to see what happened and continued working. I was surprised myself with the result but more than happy.

EAG

This year’s theme is “emotions”. Photography being an art form, one often forgets how much technical knowledge is needed to create a good image. In your experience so far, how much instinct vs planning do you use when trying to create an image and why?

Rahel

In my opinion, a balanced mix of instinct and planning is crucial. Instinct tends to be the spontaneous expression, while planning drives the technical side to capture the desired mood. Ultimately, it's a combination of both that allows me to create images that are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also create an emotional response.

When it comes to emotions, I think it makes sense to listen more to your instincts. It's a personal topic that you can implement very creatively.

Rahel submitted the beautiful and poetic analogue photo on the right, which reflects on the visible and the invisible, the known and the unknown, and far more.

Rahel studies at F+F Schule für Kunst und Design in Zürich and will complete her studies in Spring 2024.

We wish her all the best, lots of fun with her new EIZO ColorEdge CS2731 and a great experience working on set with Thomas and his crew.

See her work on Instagram

2022 winner: Jan

CREATING A WINNING IMAGE

EIZO AG
Hi Jan, you won the EIZO Student Award 2023 edition with a beautiful photo.
Can you take us on your journey to creating this image? What went through your mind, how did you find the location, did you have a specific result in mind, a story you wanted to tell through that photo?

Jan
In my photographic work I deal with everyday life. The camera always in the pocket and the right intuition I catch moments that often last only a short moment. I shoot portraits in which emotions flare up, scenes that hold an infinite calm or snapshots that want to tell a story. Because I shoot analog, my images take on a depth that is often unattainable with a digital camera.

EAG
This year’s general theme is “red green blue” and how these three colors make out our entire experience of the world around us.
What advice would you give people who want to enter the EIZO Student Awards this year?

Jan
I think it's important to be confident with your work and present it like this, and even if it doesn't work out, be happy to get opportunities like this open call and maybe get inspired by the other participants.

EAG
You won an EIZO ColorEdge CS2470, a state-of-the-art monitor for photographers and videographers. How has it helped you become a better creative, what benefits have you found and where has it supported your work most?

Jan

The screen is excellent, I use it in many areas of my work. Whether it's photo editing, video editing, drawing or just watching movies for inspiration. I am very grateful to have this, so big thanks to EIZO at this point.

2021 winner: Lena

A DAY ON SET

EIZO AG
Hi Lena, you won the 2021 edition of the EIZO Student Awards. Your work really stood out.
You also participated in the 2022 edition, again getting praise for your work. What is your secret to creating eye-catching work? Can you tell us more about your creative process, your idea, perspective and how you use your technical knowledge to trigger an emotional response?

Lena
I do not think that I have a secret behind my pictures, much more I am behind my pictures. It's just my perspective of the world, and everyone has a different one. It is the aesthetics of reality and the understanding to interpret it, which makes a photo and the photographer. I like to work intuitively, without having too precise an idea before starting. Mostly, I recognize myself above all in analog photography. There is something incredibly magical about the process from an unexposed negative to an analog print, and it gives me a lot of artistic freedom and choices. I value that extremely, and it connects me to my images.

EAG
You got the opportunity to be on set with Christian Ammann and his crew. Can you tell us what your experience was and what your take-aways are as a future actor of the photography industry?

Lena
The day with Christian and his crew I will not forget so quickly. For me it was especially interesting and informative to see how a large team works together and how certain processes and tasks were clearly defined. I think that is also what I take away the most from this day. Also the exchange with Christian and the other crew members was very exciting, through the exchange with the stylists or assistants I could not only learn new things about photography, but about the whole industry.

EAG
You won an EIZO ColorEdge monitor. How has it helped you become a better creative, what benefits have you found, and where has it supported your work most?

Lena
The evaluation and viewing of my images is an important part of my work, for which I like to take time. Often I look at images for minutes and think about which sections or series appear from the images. My Eizo monitor is definitely a big help. First of all, viewing is more fun when the colors are detailed in their optimal values on the screen and even on a gray day I don't get tired of staring at my monitor. Secondly, I can always be sure that an image is reproduced in its best form and that the colors are correct, even when I put it into print.

Watch Lena's winner video on Youtube
See Lena's work on Instagram