Souls of Zanzibar – A Heartfelt Journey in Meaningful Aesthetics

Today, we are thrilled to announce Evald Munksgaard-Hansen as the winner. His extraordinary project, Souls of Zanzibar, captures life’s raw beauty, resilience, and dreams, as seen through his remarkable eyes. 

Evald’s journey as a photographer is as inspiring as his images. Born in Copenhagen in 2000, Evald faced hearing loss and dyslexia, challenges that shaped his path and led him to photography as a unique language of expression. Words sometimes failed him, but the lens never did. For Evald, photography became a voice to express his emotions that he couldn’t readily put into words —a way to communicate what’s real and meaningful. “You cannot tell a lie with a camera,” he says, and Souls of Zanzibar beautifully demonstrates this truth.

His images invite us into the lives of remarkable individuals—people rooted in the land and spirit of Zanzibar, whose daily lives are woven with resilience and joy. We see Neem, a musician who’s made his home the open beach after losing his house twice to storm surges. Neem finds freedom living by the shore, swimming each morning, unburdened by the traditional notions of “home.” Then there’s Adam, a young boy with a surfboard he repaired with his brother’s help, dreaming of becoming a professional surfer as he practices on the waves daily. Daud’s story of strength shines through his bond with his horse Nguvu, who he and his father rescued as a foal. Together, Daud and Nguvu train in the water—a partnership built on patience and trust. 

Through Evald’s eyes, Zanzibar’s youth radiate a hopeful vision for the future. Despite diverse backgrounds, cultures, and religions, the young people here play and dream together. Their joy is a powerful symbol of unity. In the spirit of Souls of Zanzibar, Evald’s photography captures the essence of people bound to nature, where resilience is second nature and beauty is more profound— rooted in association, dreams, and how life truly is.

A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR GODOX

This competition was made possible with heartfelt thanks to our sponsor, Godox, a creator of high quality lighting equipment for photography and film. 

Godox champions creativity and empowers photographers to tell stories like Evald’s. As the winner of the Numéro+ competition, Evald will receive a full suite of professional Godox lighting equipment worth over 3,000 EUR. This includes the Godox AD1200 Pro, AD600 Pro II, X3 Flash Trigger, Lux Master, and a P90L. More details can be found at the following link: https://store.godox.eu/en/. We’re thrilled to honour Evald Munksgaard-Hansen, a storyteller with a lens that sees the heart of life, and we thank him for sharing these beautiful souls of Zanzibar with us.