Academy of Art in Szczecin | Poland
Series description
Every year, typhoons and landslides strike eastern Taiwan, destroying homes and places of work. In these moments, residents and volunteers work together, arriving daily to clear mud and damaged belongings from streets and houses, deliver food, and support families left without shelter. Schools and churches serve as temporary shared living spaces. In 2025, Guangfu was hit by Super Typhoon Ragasa, which took a reported 19 lives, flooded residential areas, and left many families without their homes and their long-established sources of livelihood.
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Students and teachers of Guangfu Junior High School clean the classrooms. Across the town, school classes are suspended, as clearing the heavy mud takes several weeks.
© Albert Słowiński, Poland, European Student Award, Shortlist, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
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Mud inside homes reached up to two metres. Despite having no access to water, many residents chose to stay in their damaged homes, to stay close to their families and neighbours. During September’s Typhoon Ragasa, a reported 19 people were killed, many were injured, and several remain missing.
© Albert Słowiński, Poland, European Student Award, Shortlist, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
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Thousands of volunteers from across Taiwan come to Guangfu to help residents repair damage and clean the streets and the interiors of their homes. They include people of all ages, among them soldiers and students. Every day, from early morning until late at night, they recover damaged mementoes and personal belongings from people’s houses..
© Albert Słowiński, Poland, European Student Award, Shortlist, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
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Because damaged roads and debris blocked large parts of the town, residents and volunteers formed small community spaces where they could spend time together, rest, and share meals.
© Albert Słowiński, Poland, European Student Award, Shortlist, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
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As the house flooded, a 73-year-old man and a 71-year-old woman lifted their six-year-old granddaughter onto the bar counter and made a hole in the roof to help her escape through. They died saving her. She was found alive during a third search. A 75-year-old man they had sheltered also did not survive.
© Albert Słowiński, Poland, European Student Award, Shortlist, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
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On the day of the typhoon, Liu Yun-Cheng was at home with his mother, celebrating her 84th birthday. A sudden wave flooded the house, and she released his hand so that he could escape. Liu survived by holding onto the door frame but his mother was swept away. In the photo, he looks towards the place where he last saw her.
© Albert Słowiński, Poland, European Student Award, Shortlist, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
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Reconstruction will continue for many months. Residents and volunteers continue to work together, preparing as a community for future typhoons. In recent years, climate disasters have taken land, crops, and entire villages, with each event growing in scale. This photo shows volunteers’ boots drying.
© Albert Słowiński, Poland, European Student Award, Shortlist, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards