“Being under the spotlight doesn’t always guarantee protection from adversity. It’s especially true as proven by this story on Bolivian women politicians. When cultural shifts are mandated by law and not everyone is on board with the idea, those whom it intended to help are the very people found in an incredibly vulnerable spot. Advancing gender parity in politics in any country, even those seemingly progressive ones, is always going to be a rough road, and the first ones who make a gamble on equal representation can’t avoid becoming victims in the process.” —Anna Mendoza, photo editor, Australia
“This series is fascinating, showing the lengths that can be taken to manipulate reality for a palliative purpose. Sensitive and creative, it provides a great framework for treatment as the population ages.” —Kate Bubacz, deputy photo director, BuzzFeed News
“So often we look to older generations and their world-weary wisdom for help navigating our own lives. What photographer Jess Dugan and social worker Vanessa Fabbre have ensured with their work for the book To Survive on This Shore, is that the budding and vibrant young trans and gender nonconforming community are able to learn from their own older generations. Dugan’s gorgeous portraits are worthy of these courageous pioneers and their astute advice, “We’re not going to get it all. None of us gets it all. Okay? But what we do have, we can polish. We can polish it, honey, till it blinds them.” —Laura Geiser, senior photo editor, BuzzFeed News
“It’s always another level of excitement whenever the Williams sisters meet on the court. Coverage transcends the tennis bubble, people wonder whose box their family members will sit in, footage from their childhoods are rolled out and played over and over. But a lot of the fanfare stems from the fact that these two sisters have made incredible names for themselves, as a family unit but moreso as individual athletes. This retrospective by Getty Images demonstrates how their unique relationship, which to an outsider seems to contradict itself, can work — and even better, lead to a very successful sporting career." —AM
“Photo essays like this week’s Time article on the South’s history of lynchings are essential to learning from our country’s dark past. Following many of these horrific murders, there was only silence, but here, photographer Johnathon Kelso’s images give a voice to a new generation of folks who are bringing these events into the light with reenactments and open discussion. Many Americans have been unaware of the terrible crimes committed in their own hometowns, and these portraits help create a dialogue on the way to properly memorialize the past, which is vital to finding a healthy way forward.” —LG
“This piece is a fun close to summer, looking at some alternative ways to learn right before the kids go back to school. Read this as an antidote to the world or as a reminder of a sense of wonder in the world. The kids’ quotes are amazing.” —KB
