1st Prize

Colours of Life

S.M. Al Muztaba Rosul

Bangladesh, 17 years old

Photo theme: Textiles and Clothing

Villagers of Bunty Village, Narayanganj, Bangladesh dry batik print textiles on the riverbank. This region, and its people, sit at a junction of the Silk Roads, a connection between the East and the West. The people pictured here keep this chain of textile exchange running through their skill, effort, and love.

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2nd Prize

Road in the Window

Arda Taş

Turkey, 16 years old

Photo theme: Intercultural Exchanges in the Time of Covid-19, Including in the Field of Textiles and Clothing 

My mother, who worked hard throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, wears her mask. Next to her, the neighbours' children look out from the window. Living at the bridge between Asia and Europe, besides wishing for the end of the pandemic, they also want to interact with others along the Silk Roads again. This is the way to a better world. 

3rd Prize

Joyful Dance

Kou Yangming

China, 15 years old

Photo theme: Textiles and Clothing

People of the Yi ethnic group celebrate the ‘Torch Festival’ with a joyful dance in Panzhou, Guizhou. The traditional Yi Torch Festival, celebrated on June 24 in the lunar calendar, is the greatest annual festival of the Yi people and is commonly known as the ‘Big Year’. In the long history of the Yi people, they have developed and refined classic dances, such as the Seahorse Dance, the Sheepskin Drum Dance, the Bimo Dance, the Mourning Dance, the Sama Dance and the Wine Dance, which are now performed at important festivals. The costumes of the Yi people are very colourful. Everywhere you go, you can see Yi elders spinning and weaving in the traditional way, making Yi linen clothing, turbans, hats, pockets and other accessories. Most of the Yi people's clothing is homemade.

Honourable Mention 1

A Glimpse of the Silk Roads in Modern Times

Nozanin Homidjonova

Tajikistan, 17 years old

Photo theme: Textiles and Clothing

Students at Guliston Cultural Center learn about the use of various silk fabrics in other countries along the Silk Roads to create new outfits for their cultural programmes.

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Honourable Mention 2

The Power of the Silk Roads

Symbat Zhamalbay

Kazakhstan, 17 years old

Photo theme: Textiles and Clothing

Two distinctive types of clothing both connected by the Silk Roads. What began as textile exchange resulted in a close relationship between the East and Europe. Through these connections the traditional clothes and materials of different regions mixed together. The ornaments and patterns of Asian and European dresses created new forms of art and established a lasting spirit of friendship.
 

1st prize

Life in Fabric, the Survivor

Jahid Alam Apu

Bangladesh, 24 years old

Photo theme: Textiles and Clothing
 

Anwar works in a small thread mill in Bangladesh, an integral part of the historic Southern Silk Roads. He came from a village to work downtown but after the lockdown all the factories were closed and it became difficult for him to survive. Since the lifting of the lockdown, he works extra hours at the mill seven days a week, hoping for better days.

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2nd prize

Novice Monks Pray Wearing Masks

Kyaw Zay Yar Lin

Myanmar, 25 years old

Photo theme: Intercultural Exchanges in the Time of  Covid-19, Including in the Field of Textiles and Clothing
 

Young monks at Pipal 5000 Temple in Mandalay, Myanmar pray together for the end of the pandemic. To protect against Covid-19 they clean the Buddha statues regularly and wear facemasks, which can make their devotions difficult.  

3rd prize

Happy Moment

Behzod Boltaev

Uzbekistan, 25 years old

Photo theme: Textiles and Clothing

A woman performs a bridal greeting in the old district of Bukhara. Located on the Great Silk Roads, Bukhara has a centuries long tradition of rich culture. One such beautiful tradition is the bridal greeting with each bride wearing a distinctive bridal outfit after the wedding to stand out from non-married women.

Honourable Mention 1

Beauties of Culture

Mohammad Ali Mirzayee

Afghanistan, 21 years old

Photo theme: Textiles and Clothing

Rayhana is a designer. She makes traditional clothes using different elements of intangible cultural heritage. Bamyan was once on a major route of the Silk Roads which connected East and West for trade and cultural exchange. Traders used to stay at the Buddhist site in Bamyan for weeks or months as it had a caravansarai for rest. After all these years, the people of Bamyan still wear their traditional clothes at functions and events, sometimes posing in front of the Bamyan Buddha to keep their ancestors’ culture alive.

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Honourable Mention 2

Ritual Drums

ZHAO Lu

China, 18 years old

Photo theme: Textiles and Clothing

During a New Year ritual drum ceremony the Miao King (leader of the tribe) and Miao elders dress in festive costumes at Xijiang Miao Village in Leshan County, Qiandongnan Prefecture, Guizhou, China. Miao men are often simply dressed wearing double-breasted suits with long sleeves and short trousers with their heads wrapped in handkerchiefs. Miao women wear clothes that are large and long over the waist with short sleeves and no collar. The chest and cuffs are customarily hemmed, embroidered with flowers and petal motifs.

Honourable Mention 3

A Young Woman Sewing by Hand at a Tailor Shop

Emran Hossain 

Bangladesh, 18 years old 

Photo theme: Intercultural Exchanges in the Time of Covid-19, Including in the Field of Textiles and Clothing 

Fatema, a 25 year-old housewife who runs a tailor shop gives a smile as she attends to her regular customers. People frequently order new dresses, especially before festivals, and Fatema earns fairly good money. Today Bangladeshi women are more aware of their rights than they were a decade ago. With its origins in the Silk Roads, the textile industry is one of the largest export-oriented industries in the world which plays a crucial social role in many cultures.