Shaun Webber, When the Drought Breaks (Portrait 2020)

After one of the driest years on record, much of Australia was ablaze with wild bush fires during the summer of 2019/2020. The impact has been catastrophic for those communities battling the elements, but there can also be a significant impact on the children who feel confused about what has been happening to our land. They worry about when it might stop and what can be done. These images are from a series taken during the first sustained downpour of rain in January 2020, where only weeks prior, these very creek beds were a dry and dreary dust-bowl. There was a feeling of relief for these young warriors. Brown turned green again, and at least for that afternoon, the fires weren't on their minds.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.