Eliza Stephens, a University of Suffolk PhD student, was honoured with the Excellent Photographer Award at the 2026 Pingyao International Photography Festival in China for her project Phantom Mirror.
The project, showcased as part of the group exhibition The Future is Experimental: 20 Artists Redefining Photography, delves into themes of dementia, memory, and identity using images developed through collaboration with generative artificial intelligence.
Ms Stephens said: “I’m incredibly excited about winning the award, and slightly stunned.
“Phantom Mirror grew from my experience of caring for someone with dementia, so having it recognised in China means a great deal.
“I’m especially moved that people from another culture connected with something so personal.
“It shows how powerfully images can communicate across language and cultural boundaries.
“This project developed with the support of my photography tutors at Suffolk, and I’m incredibly grateful to them.
“To see work that began there reach an international audience, and receive this recognition, means a great deal to me.”
The judges noted the emotional impact of her work and its focus on dementia—a growing social issue in China that remains difficult to discuss publicly.
Ms Stephens, who graduated with a BA (Hons) in Photography in 2025, has also received commendation from the jury for Source Magazine’s Graduate Photography Online 2025.
Her work was also featured in the publication 20 Experimental Photographers for Analogue Magazine and exhibited at the Britten Pears Arts Summer Contemporary exhibition.
Noel Bowler, senior lecturer in BA (Hons) Photography and Visual Media at the University of Suffolk, said: “What Eliza has achieved at Pingyao is genuinely extraordinary.
“To be selected from over 2,600 photographers across 34 countries, and to be one of only two international recipients of the Excellent Photographer Award, speaks volumes about the ambition and power of Phantom Mirror.
“Eliza’s success is a reminder that transformative work can begin in a lecture room in Ipswich and reach an international stage.
“For our current students, seeing a recent graduate and now a PhD researcher achieve this level of recognition demonstrates what is possible when creative ambition is nurtured within a specialist programme led by people who know and love the field.”
Earlier this year, Ms Stephens also held a solo exhibition at the University of Suffolk.