Posted: April 29, 2026 by Hannah Murphy

2026 Portfolio Honorable Mention

A body of work that showcases the photographer’s vision and demonstrates versatility, expertise, and depth.

Honorable Mention: Maryel Pryce

Margie Pryce looks out to the frozen Niagara River in Lewiston, N.Y. on Feb. 5, 2026.

Margie Pryce poses for a portrait in Lewiston, N.Y. on Feb. 7, 2026.

Dylan Pryce and his son, Archer, read a bedtime story together in East Rochester, N.Y. on Feb. 1, 2026.

Chefs Rosalia and Jenna eat ice pops while working their closing shift at Babz Bistro in Maysville, K.Y. on Oct. 24, 2025.

Lauran Hardin waits as friends Babz and Al Nartowicz come over for dinner in Mays Lick, K.Y. on Oct. 23, 2025. Hardin lives a farm-to-table lifestyle, and provides most of the vegetables at Babz and Al’s bistro.

Kelly fishes in the Ohio River in downtown Maysville, K.Y. on Oct. 24, 2025.

The dunes at Fire Island in Shirley, N.Y. on Jan. 10, 2026.

Dave Hardin relaxes on his porch in Vanceburg, K.Y. on Oct. 23, 2025.

Margie Pryce looks out the Ranger Tower overlooking Smith Point Beach in Shirley, N.Y. on Jan. 10, 2026. Margie was visiting the beach in honor of her late father with whom she has fond memories coming to the lookout with.

The woods at Art Park in Lewiston, N.Y. on Dec. 23, 2025.

Dead shad fish laying among the Niagara River in Lewiston, N.Y. on Dec. 23, 2025.

In the summer of 2022 my dad left his home with nothing but the clothes on his back and my mother filed a missing persons report. My uncle moved in and shut his bedroom door, never opening it again until I asked if I could come see the room. This is my documentation of how people come and go, and grieving their absence can remain frozen in time.

My dad Stuart’s house illuminated by the windows in Lewiston, N.Y. on March 6, 2026.

My dad Stuart’s room in Lewiston, N.Y. on Nov. 9, 2025.

A document from a Narcotics Anonymous meeting in my dad Stuart’s room in Lewiston, N.Y. on Nov. 9, 2025.

A box of high school memorabilia in my dad Stuart’s room in Lewiston, N.Y. on Nov. 16, 2025.

My dad Stuart’s closet in Lewiston, N.Y. on Nov. 9, 2025.

My dad Stuart’s bed in Lewiston, N.Y. on Oct. 23, 2025.

My dad Stuart’s shoes in Lewiston, N.Y. on Nov. 16, 2025. The shoes were left behind and contain drug paraphernalia.

At Least I Am Living Now

Nourishing The Community

Descending from a long line of chiropractors, Babz thought that profession would also be her legacy. She soon discovered that her true passion was food. “I wanted to heal people from the inside out,” she said.
Babz is not only feeding people; she is nourishing the spirit of the people of Maysville.

Barbara “Babz” Nartowicz serves regular patron Ernie Leet at Babz Bistro in Maysville, K.Y. on Oct. 22, 2025. Ernie often provides Babz with puffball mushrooms which grow on his property in Mayslick.

Babz Bistro in Maysville, K.Y. on Oct. 23, 2025. The bistro is located in one of the most iconic properties in downtown Maysville, the historic Cox building.

Babz and Al Nartowicz cooking together in the kitchen of Babz Bistro in Maysville, K.Y. on Oct. 23, 2025. “Cooking with Al has brought us even closer together,” Babz said.

Babz stands as she provides instructions to her sous chefs at Babz Bistro in Maysville, K.Y. on Oct. 24, 2025.

Tomatoes grown by Dave and Lauran Hardin in Vanceburg, K.Y. on Oct. 23, 2025.

In Lauran and Dave Hardin’s kitchen in Vanceburg, K.Y. on Oct. 23, 2025, sets an array of canned preserves fresh from their garden. Babz and the Hardin’s have built a strong friendship and share an appreciation for the farm-to-table lifestyle.

Lauran and Babz take a walk through the woods on Oct. 23, 2025 in Vanceburg, K.Y. “It’s a wild thing about the mountain, how fast the light goes,” Lauran said as she and Babz climb.

Babz embraces Lauran as she tries her food on Oct. 23, 2025 in Vanceburg, K.Y. “We just have the same interests in very bizarre things. We just kind of get that part of each other,” Babz said about her friendship with Lauran.

Babz tries venison stroganoff made by her friend, Lauran, on Oct. 23, 2025 in Vanceburg, K.Y. Lauran uses fresh ingredients from her garden and the venison was from a deer her husband, Dave, hunted. Lauran and Dave frequently bring fresh produce to Babz Bistro. “We are thankful for anything we get from Lauran and Dave because we know it will be good quality” said Babz.

Babz and Al Nartowicz sit with Dave Hardin as they wait for dinner in Vanceburg, K.Y. on Oct. 23, 2025. “Dave’s background with growing up on the river in Kentucky, even though it wasn’t Maysville, was similar enough that he educated me on so many things like the sumac that I use in the tea at the bistro. He brought me my first batch of wild sumac and then I realized it was everywhere once I opened my eyes to it,” Babz said.

Babz and Al Nartowicz walk home from closing Babz Bistro on Oct. 24, 2025 in Maysville, K.Y. The bistro is open for lunch during the week, but on weekends also serves dinner, making for long nights.

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