Guizhou, China — Keepers of the Song, by British photographer Aisha Nazar, won 1st Place in Travel / Tourism editorial photography at the 2026 International Photography Awards. The story was produced for National Geographic Traveller UK in August 2025.
High in the mountains of Guizhou, Huanggang is an 800-year-old wooden village where the Dong people have lived by epic songs for millennia. The Grand Songs are a polyphonic choral tradition central to Dong culture. With no written language, they have always carried the community’s histories, traditions and ethos.
As globalisation draws younger generations away, the tradition risks fading. Nazar centres her story on the women of the village, whose dedication, woven into daily life, keeps the songs alive. Her pictures move between village architecture, everyday work and performance, showing a culture that survives because people choose to carry it.
More about the photographer: Aisha Nazar, Creative Profile
Official award record: International Photography Awards winners
Some histories are kept in books. Others are kept in voices.
International Photography Awards, 2026 — 1st Place, Editorial / Press: Travel / Tourism
