Laura Pannack's Crossings follows South African young people on their daily school journeys and has earned her the inaugural Tom Stoddart Award for Excellence.
South African youth are at the heart of the work that just won British photographer Laura Pannack the inaugural Tom Stoddart Award for Excellence 2025. Her project, Crossings, follows young people on their journeys to and from school, in a country where the distance between home and classroom can say a lot about opportunity.
South Africa has some of the highest levels of social inequality in the world, and its youth population is growing fast. Pannack points her lens at the daily commute and the physical and psychological demands it places on learners. The trip is far more than a way to get to class. It is a test of endurance, and it shapes how young people see themselves and their futures.
The award is a collaboration between Gost Books and the Ian Parry Photojournalism Grant, and it backs photographers committed to long-form documentary work. That focus suits a project like Crossings, which rewards patience and sustained attention over a quick snapshot.
For anyone who cares about the stories behind Africa's next generation, the images are a reminder that talent, ambition and resilience travel those roads every day. Crossings by Laura Pannack is available now from Gost Books.
