Erika Anna Schumacher has captured night scenes in Miami with a distinctive cinematic style — color street photographs that shimmer with gloss, as if every surface is glowing with the reflection of neon or theatrical stage lighting. Each image vibrates with the energy of high expectations for a charged-up night on the town. It feels like the stage is set for action.

This photograph is a remarkably well framed and finely observed moment. A real street photographer’s understanding of timing, the frame, and being ‘in the moment’ with what was going on. It has the incredibly rich feeling of being seen for its overall and integrated moment, which Francesco was in harmony with. He saw it all and made a tough and beautiful photograph.

Gala Font de Mora Marti’s series captures people immersed in a film at a drive-in theatre and their surrounding environment. Ominous image are shown on the screen while the people are watching them from a safe environment. Gala’s images are quiet, mysterious and intimate moments portraying a disappearing culture. They can be interpreted differently with the current situation we are all in.

This picture could be a grab from a movie. Kai was able to show us an interaction that might not even exist in reality. Nevertheless, we’re asking ourselves immediately, do they know each other? Are they angry with each other? Are the white teddies involved? From two random guys crossing the street we all create a scenario in our minds. In mine, the man on the front is a detective investigating a missing child, keeping his suspect under his watch. That’s trivial, but this is also the beauty of this medium. Photographers are storytellers and the streets are such a great playground.

I love the fleeting moment that is captured here. It’s impossible to know exactly what is happening but speaks to a scene where the boy is obviously very comfortable and in his element. His knowing glance and the arrangement of the fish in the air makes it look like he magically planned the whole thing.

This is an extremely beautiful photograph. Life has composed it and Meysam was able to freeze the situation forever, as he was in the right place at the right time. As the viewer I ask myself, where are the women? What are the many men looking at? Many of the jurors rated the picture highly, and while it did not win a top prize in the end, it has immediately made me curious about the Meysam’s work.

The central framing of the figure and the tight cropping of the structure behind gives this image a formality which belies the spontaneity of the moment. For Sofia Verzbolovskis, a Panamanian photographer based in New York City, the street is a stage where elements of architecture, light, and color form a set for daily life. In this image, it is the momentary connection that makes the connection, achieved through gesture and a look.

The entry contained some of the strongest traditional street photography in the entire competition. If I could, I would pull this photograph out as a single and nominate it instead, as it has everything I look for in street photography: a moment in time never to be repeated, shown from a well-developed aesthetic point of view. Although I do like the photographer’s technique, to me the series relies a little much on deep shadows and I would prefer to have seen a little more variety in lighting conditions. But on the whole the series is very well done - playful, interesting and dynamic and something that a viewer can find new details in upon each viewing.