The Day Something Changed
I want to share my experience of being selected as the winner of the Landscape Photography Award at Banco Nacional de Panamá's 2025 Carlos Endara Photography Competition.
An unexpected message
Around noon, I received a message from my mom. It was a photo of a poster on a door. Nothing else.
I looked at it, thought about it for a while—as I usually do—and said to myself, “Ah, why not?”
While running one of her usual errands, my mom had stopped by a Banco Nacional branch. The photo showed a poster for the 2025 Banconal Art Competition. It was August, and there were only a few days left before the deadline, so I decided to submit one of my photographs.
At the time, I was recovering from minor surgery. I had time on my hands, I was in bed, and I had recently returned to photographing landscapes after working on my Witness to Life series. So I decided to enter my first competition, submitting images in several categories.
I did it without expecting anything.
I sent the files and, as the days passed, almost forgot about it.
An invitation that didn't tell the whole story
On Halloween morning—which sounds a little strange, but there is some irony to it—I received an email from Banco Nacional's Culture Department inviting me to the awards ceremony.
More surprised than excited, I read it several times to make sure it was real. I confirmed my attendance and waited.
Again, without expectations.
The email didn't make it clear whether I had won anything, but I assumed that if they were inviting me, something must have happened. I told my wife, and we waited for the day to arrive.
Tremendous excitement in this photo.
Walking to the gallery
That day, I decided to walk.
Our city is small, and although it isn't always designed with pedestrians in mind, the hardest part about walking in Panama is usually the weather. Still, I headed out prepared, making a few strategic stops along the way to get some air conditioning.
When I arrived at the Banconal Art Gallery on Vía España, they asked for my name and I signed the attendance list. I had arrived alone; Gianna was on her way.
Right after signing, I looked up.
There it was.
My photograph, Follaje Lunar, printed in large format.
My eyes immediately filled with tears.
Standing in front of Follaje Lunar
I walked inside and looked around the gallery. There was photography, sculpture, poetry, video, and painting.
Eventually, I went back to my photograph.
I stood in front of it and thought, “It's the only landscape here… could I have won something?”
When my wife arrived, I went outside to meet her. I hugged her tightly and, with tears in my eyes, told her:
“Maybe I won something.”
It was a very special moment for both of us.
We sat down and the ceremony began. When they reached the landscape category, a slide appeared on the screen with my name and photograph.
We looked at each other, hugged, and laughed.
Then they announced that the award also included a camera, courtesy of Canon Panama.
A sign in the middle of uncertainty
It was difficult to contain the emotion.
At a time of personal uncertainty, this appeared as a sign. And it came with a new tool that would allow me to keep creating.
That day changed the way I began to see things. Not only around me, but within myself as well. The way I spoke to myself, the way I trusted myself, and the way I understood the processes we go through.
It also awakened a creative curiosity that continues to grow and that, little by little, I will continue to share.
Life, God, luck—call it whatever you want.
But if there is one thing I can say, it is that it is worth remaining open.
Listening more. Feeling more. Looking again.
Source: Destino Panamá.
