The World’s Best Photos of People at Work in 2020

Free-to-use photography app Agora shares the final results from its latest competition, #Work2020 which gathered 9,767 photo submissions from amateur and professional photographers all over the world. Vietnamese photographer @ptkhanhhvnh won the contest with ‘Washing water lilies‘, the photo that collected the most votes by Agora users.

“It’s fascinating to discover how people work around the world and spot the differences between cultures, and contexts and countries,” says Octavi Royo, Agora’s CEO & co-founder.

Winner: ‘Washing water lilies’ by @ptkhanhhvnh (Vietnam)

Location: Chau Doc An Giang, Vietnam

The women were washing water lilies, a flower that grows in many lakes in the western rivers of Vietnam. They use boats to go everywhere to pick water lilies, then wash and sold them at the local market. This is has been the traditional work for women living in Western Vietnam for generations. This edible flower is also a delicacy for locals and tourists.

About herself, the photographer says: My journey with photography has been difficult, especially as a woman and as a single mom. I take pictures alone and have had many life threatening experiences, such as staying in a cemetery alone at night waiting for the sunrise, wrestling with waves at Hang Rai, Phan Rang seashores, climbing mountains, or wading into swamps. Sometimes I forget I’m a woman.

Discover the #Work2020 finalist entries:

‘Oyster Harvest’ by @alexclifford (UK)

Location: Grouville Bay, Jersey, UK

The crystal clear waters surrounding Jersey create a unique environment for oysters to flourish. Growing in this kind of environment gives Jersey Oysters their unique flavor, not one to be missed! Oysters are a local delicacy and can be farmed throughout the year. Jersey exports over 1,000 tons of oysters a year with 80% being exported to France. This photograph shows the scale of one of the oyster farms on the eastern side of the island and evidences the hard work the farmers have to experience to deliver the local delicacies to our restaurants!

‘Making soy sauce’ by @azimronnie (Bangladesh)

Location: Hanoi, Vietnam

The people from Cu Da village near Hanoi, Vietnam have been making soy sauce for about 400 years. In the past, every local household used to store several jars of soy sauce to use all year round. Today, soy sauce is made not only for the villagers’ own use but also to be sold outside the village. The soy sauce is made from glutinous rice, salt, soybeans, and water (the sauce is more delicious if it is made with rainwater!). The rice used in the recipe is a special variety of sticky rice that is grown mainly in the northern delta and midland provinces. The sticky rice ferments for several days in an incubation chamber and 6 days later, it looks like a soft green-lentil cake and is getting moved to a salt tank. The soy sauce is later sold in big supermarkets in provinces and cities nationwide and is exported to other Asian countries.

‘Hard Work’ by @adeelchishti (Pakistan)

Location: Ravi River Lahore, Pakistan

Labour class is the core base of every nation. This kind of work is one of the most difficult jobs in every society. This man has to provide for his family’s expenses including children’s education, health, food, clothing, transport etc. I was quite depressed with personal issues at the time, but when I met this man and listened to his story, I remained in shock. I realized that his story should be a source of motivation for me. I own better incomes than he does, so why am I disappointed with my life? His story taught me to fight circumstances. I found a teacher in him. He taught me positivity.

‘Girl’ by @chanthar (Myanmar)