Honorable Mention

Houses of Qeqertaq
DESCRIPTION
After spending three years in the northernmost parts of Finland, Dennis got obsessed with the arctic regions with plans to take the adventures to the other countries. Dennis sent job applications to Greenland and despite hating fish and being disgusted by the sight of blood, Dennis found himself working in a fish factory in Greenland. By March 2025, Dennis has so far worked in a total of six different fish factories all located in different places. On top of this, he spent the winter 2024 homeless, seeking accommodation by strangers in several locations despite having a language barrier with most people. These experiences have given Dennis a deep understanding of the local culture, the way people live and the challenges they face.
This photograph "Houses of Qeqertaq" showcases some of the houses found in the small island settlement of 100 people located in the west-coast of Greenland. In the photo a polar bear skin is seen, hanging from the pink house. The bear was caught in the area in 2022 by the owner of the house. Hunting of the polar bears is legal in Greenland, though strict restrictions and regional quotas do exist. Outside of the houses, greenlandic sled dogs are often found which the local hunters and fishermen use to travel with.
AUTHOR
Dennis Lehtonen is an adventurer of the polar regions, living the nomadic lifestyle by moving to unusual locations frequently and living with strangers. Dennis has spent three years in the northernmost parts of Finland and two years in Greenland with plans to take the adventures to the remote parts of arctic Canada, Siberia and Alaska in the future. Dennis got into this type of lifestyle by accident when he first found out about the world of astronomy by watching a video of a man capturing Saturn from his backyard. Amazed by this, Dennis got into astrophotography which evolved into aurora photography. To capture the aurora, small places in the arctic are preferred due to ideal location and lack of light pollution.