Friends, I’d like to share some good news with you.
My book Light Through the Ruins has been named among the leaders of the summer ranking of the nationwide "Knyzhka roku 2026" (Book of the Year) competition in the “Visiting Cards” / “Photography” category.
This is important to me. Light Through the Ruins is an attempt to preserve and show through photography what is happening to Ukraine during this war: people, their stories, pain, loss, destroyed cities and homes — but at the same time, the life that continues despite everything.
The book contains not only photographs of the consequences of war. It also tells the story of what we are trying to preserve: our culture, memory, and traditions. In particular, the book features photographs of traditional Ukrainian embroidered towels (rushnyky) created by the women in my family — my great-grandmother Maria, my grandmother Hanna, and my aunt Valentyna.
I rarely think about photography in terms of competitions or rankings — I simply photograph what I see. So it is especially meaningful when this work is noticed.
Thank you to the experts for their recognition.
Thank you to BILKA Publishing House and to everyone who supports the book, shares it, and helps it find its readers.
And thank you to everyone who holds this book in their hands!
The competition is still ongoing.
More about the ranking in Bukvoid:
https://bukvoid.com.ua/events/raityng/2026/08/09/082228.html
You can order the book here:
https://bilkabooks.com/products/fotokniga-svitlo-kriz-ruini-miti-vijni-u-fotografiyah-yurij-veres