LIKE by Ryan Debolski (Gnomic Book, Brooklyn), nominated as the Jurors’ Special Mention for First PhotoBook, explores the experiences and relationships of migrant workers in Oman. But rather than focusing on the defi ning public image of poor working conditions, Debolski depicts men fi nding agency and connection to the landscape of the beach and companionship in each other—they are as playful as they are introspective.

“The position this work takes is very singular,” juror Stéphanie Solinas affi rms, “a book on migrant workers in Oman, where we fi nd a great presence of bodies with a form of sensuality where we expected to fi nd brick walls and deserts. The weave between text and image, bodies and architecture off ers a new, unexpected entry into the topic.”