Recognition — Karoly Hemzo Award / 2025
© Kriszta Lettner
Honored to receive the Karoly Hemzo Award this year.
I’ve been in photography for ten years now. For those who know me well, this isn’t just a profession—it’s my way of life. Every day, I wake up and go to sleep with photography on my mind. Of course, the journey has had its challenges. Feedback isn’t always immediate, and there are many days when it feels like I missed capturing that image. But that’s okay—because this craft continues to elevate me to intellectual and emotional heights that still surprise me, even after a decade.
Curiosity and the urge to tell stories through my own human experience have always been my driving forces. A photograph may be taken in a fraction of a second, but everything leading up to it—the fieldwork, the people I meet, the conversations I have, the countless kilometers I travel—feels even more valuable. I believe it’s these moments that gradually make me a more empathetic and grounded person. On the harder days, I draw strength from them. I may never fully understand the world, but I try to share it the way I see it.
This morning, now as a Hemzo Award recipient, I found myself back in the lab, reviewing negatives from last week. I caught myself staring at the emulsion through a magnifier with sparkling eyes and a childlike smile. That’s probably a good sign—and maybe I’ll never change.
We don’t take photos for the awards. But I think it’s important to pause, breathe, and take this moment in. It’s a beautiful milestone. I’m grateful to so many people—far too many to name here—but thank you to everyone who’s walked alongside me through this unpredictable, adventurous decade.
A heartfelt thank you to my nominators, Bálint Szajki and Zsófia Pályi, and to the jury for selecting me this year. Special thanks to Péter Korniss for his kind words at the award ceremony—his project, The Guest Worker, inspired my early thoughts on long-term work.
This recognition means the world to me, especially considering Karoly Hemzo's legacy, the great tradition of Hungarian photography, and the incredible photographers who came before me.
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