Goats and Soda, a news platform, highlighted its top photo stories from 2025, emphasizing the enduring power of still photography in documenting global events and daily life, particularly in the Global South.
Featured Photo Stories of 2025:
- The Anthropocene Illusion: This new book explores human-induced alterations to Earth, showcasing images such as a polar bear in a zoo and a tree mural obscured by haze.
- Madagascar Women and FGS Awareness: Women in Madagascar were photographed wearing traditional cosmetic face masks for a project by Miora Rajaonary. This initiative aims to raise awareness about Female Genital Schistosomiasis (FGS), a disease caused by parasitic worms that affects an estimated 56 million women and girls, primarily in Africa. The condition is frequently misidentified as a sexually transmitted disease.
- South African Coal Salvagers: The lives of men known as "zama zamas" (an isiZulu phrase for "those who take a chance"), who salvage coal from abandoned mines, were documented, illustrating the hazardous nature of their work.
- Global Healing Soups: A collection of soup recipes from diverse cultures was presented, featuring various traditions and beliefs associated with their consumption for comfort and well-being.
- HIV Medication Shortages in Zambia: Portraits of individuals, including a 10-year-old, a house painter, and a mother, highlighted reported challenges in accessing HIV medications in Zambia, despite U.S. aid cuts ostensibly exempting these treatments.
- Technology's Impact: Rest of World Photo Contest: The website Rest of World conducted a photo contest focused on technology's influence, receiving entries from 45 countries. Featured images included facial scans for migrants and children in a Mongolian tent watching a film.
- "Iconic Women" Exhibit: The Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky, hosted a photo exhibit titled "Iconic Women: From Everyday Life to Global Heroes" in observance of International Women's Day. The exhibit showcased diverse women, from an 'analog' astronaut to a watermelon farmer.
- Perspectives from Photographers with Disabilities: A collection of eight prize-winning photographs by individuals with disabilities demonstrated their unique perspectives. Subjects included a child balancing on a rope, a colorful bird, and fishermen at twilight.