ABOUT JULIA GUNTHER
Julia Gunther (DE, 1979) is a German documentary photographer. In her work she explores themes such as representation, gender, visual identity and social activism – in particular the role of women in society.

ABOUT THE PHOTO
In February and March of 2020 – just before COVID-19 locked down the world – Gunther and writer Nick Schonfeld visited the Wildlife Detection Dog Unit in Lilongwe, Malawi. For seven days they joined dogs Max, Bubba, Nikita, Danna and Tim and their companions as they patrolled the warehouses, surveyed the airport terminals and inspected the overloaded minivans at roadblocks. The WDDU operates at the forefront of Malawi’s fight against wildlife crime.

THE JURY
Well thought-out composition: low point of view, buildings on the horizon that give context to the location, underlined by the hasty tire tracks in the foreground. This photo ignores all clichés and has its own signature.